Captive
by Kateracks
Summary: What do you do when you've got nowhere to go and you can't walk to get there? Why not make some new choices no matter what side they're for? Step inside and listen to my story.
1. Chapter 1

Hello to whoever stumbles upon this story. Just a head's up. I have this story written down and the beginning is a little rocky but I think it gets better. This is my first story to go on Fanfiction and its not very good so only constructive criticism please! Oh and it's rated T just to be safe. Here's the first chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

**Chapter One: Jail Bird**

I peered out through the cell bars and into the hallway. Everything was so bright here, entirely too bright for my tastes. That made me think back to my room and that, in turn, made me ponder the omnipresent question: How did I get here?

Oh, that's right. That guy with the flaming hair came and kidnaped me from my house, destroyed my world and brought me to this...place. So here I am, in a cell, cold, hungry and with some blue-haired, creepy guy sitting outside standing guard. But why did my kidnapper take me in the first place?

I didn't dare talk to anyone anymore. The last guy I tried to talk to kept prodding me with questions about, well, darn near everything and I think as he left he mumbled something about asking permission to "experiment" with me. After that, I kept quiet. I don't think I want to find out what will happen if I piss someone off, not after that huge guy had cell duty late last night.

I again turned my attention to the hall as someone new came down to the last cell where I was to take over the watch. This one didn't look as threatening as the last one so I cautiously scooted over to the bars to look down the hall after the blue-haired guy.

The current watchman had blue-silver hair but not as bright a blue as the last one. He gave me a once-over before opening the book in his hand to read but not before scoffing lightly at the small girl, me, being held captive in the cell.

All of the people I have seen are strange and all of them, even the quiet one right here intimidated me. Of course, I only imagine I haven't seen all of them. This is too big of a place for just the few that I've seen to live in all by themselves.

I moved back to the cot that was built into the wall and curled up to sleep.

* * *

When I woke up again, no one was outside the cell so I took this opportunity to plan my move.

Unfortunately, picking the lock was out of the question because as far as I could see, there was no lock, just the bars. This made me wonder how they kept me in here but after an experimental tug at the bars and receiving a painful zap, I decided I didn't need to find out.

I leaned back against the wall and whacked my head on it in frustration. What good would it do if I got out anyway? It's not like I would get very far.

* * *

–Axel's POV–

I probably shouldn't have taken that girl. Just turned her into a Dusk and left but I couldn't do it for some reason. I just hadn't seen anyone like her before and, I had to admit, she intrigued me.

She had come into the house in that...wheelchair, I guess, and she looked so helpless, sitting there in horror. Well, I couldn't just leave her there by herself when her whole family was now a bunch of Dusks...so I picked her up, tossed her over my shoulder, and opened a portal back to The World That Never Was. She struggled (a lot) not liking the idea of being taken captive very much. I can only guess how much she doesn't like being in that cell Xemnas had me put her in.

Speaking of Xemnas, he was now closing the meeting. "Does anyone have any other matters to discuss?"

I raised my hand.

"Axel?" he called on me.

"What about the girl?" I asked.

"The girl? What girl?" demanded Xaldin. I sighed. They forgot already? She only got here yesterday!

"The girl down in the cell," I reminded them.

"Does it matter?" Larxene asked. "She can just rot down there, we don't have a purpose for her."

"She is quite...entertaining, however. Her mind would be easy to manipulate," Zexion spoke up.

"I could use her as a test subject," Vexen put in thinking of the possibilities.

"Enough," Xemnas stated calmly, raising a hand to quiet the growing discussion. The table full of people went silent (1). "We will leave her down there for a few more days. If she survives, then perhaps we could make use of her."

* * *

–My POV–

I awoke to the sound of music and briefly wondered why someone brought a CD player down here and where they got an extension cord long enough to travel down the hall.

However, when I crawled over to the bars, I saw a guy there playing a guitar-like instrument. The song was familiar but different the way he played it. It didn't make me sleepy this way as a rock twist was now included with the usual melodic rises and falls.

I smiled when the song ended and without thinking spoke the title, "Shadow Over the Moon."

The guy jumped and then turned around and smiled also. "Yeah, with my own touch to it. You could still tell, though?"

I nodded. "I think anyone could. It's a common favorite in lullabies." We both sat in silence for a moment while we observed each other.

He had blonde hair and green eyes. His hair was long in the back and spiked in various places while being short in the front but spiked there also. A mullet, I think it might be called but since I've never seen one before and I can't be sure, I'll just call it a rock cut.

He didn't look very muscular either. In fact, he was quite skinny and it made me wonder why he was in with all these other people. Maybe just for entertainment.

I knew what he was seeing, too. A very short girl of 4' 6" with brown-red hair in a crocodile clip and chocolate eyes. I'll bet I looked a little dirty, too, not to mention the knees torn out of my bloody jeans and my favorite sweatshirt now had mud splattered on its light blue cloth and black rose design.

But I liked this guy; he didn't scare me like the rest of them did. Still holding my smile, I stuck my hand through the bars. "I'm Kat."

He hesitated for a second, I guess wondering if it would be alright to be on a name-to-name basis with the prisoner. But then he took my hand. "Demyx."

"Well Demyx, I'm glad you have cell duty today. I like you," I said.

"Y–you do?" he asked shyly. "Most everybody else here thinks I'm stupid or childish."

I tilted my head. Then why did he stay here? "Well I don't. Besides, you're the only one here who hasn't scared me and/or ignored me." I looked back at his instrument. "So...what is that?"

"It's called a sitar," he told me and I noticed it had only three strings instead of the normal six. Demyx struck a cord and a water figure rose from the ground. He then used a sort of waltz to lead the figure in a dance in front of the cell.

When the song finished, the figure took a bow and then disappeared. Demyx spent the rest of the day performing for me and asking general questions (like about my disability) until I went to sleep.

* * *

And that's the end of Chapter One! I hope it wasn't unbearably terrible. I'm sorry if any of the characters were too OOC and I'm also sorry if I made any screw-ups. This was mostly just to see what people's reaction would be.

(1). I realize that during a meeting they would probably be in the room with the ridiculously high chairs but for the purposes of this story, I put them in a room with a ridiculously long table. :D

Now then, this is where I take my leave.

Review Please!

Laters!!


	2. Chapter 2

Wow! I seriously didn't think that I would get a review on the first chapter. It was really crappy. But after I saw that, I was excited about typing for the rest of the day. (Except for when I found out that one of my friends was not coming to school. Then I was sad.)

Here's Chapter Two!

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**Chapter Two: Best Friend**

_Pop! Ssszzzz! Pop! Ssszzzz!_

That's what I heard when I came to consciousness the next morning. It wasn't as nice as Demyx's music but it was comforting, like sitting by a fireplace. It then occurred to me that where there's a fireplace, there's _fire_.

I bolted upright and to the bars to look out for where the fire was. But what I found was that red-haired guy who kidnaped me in the first place. He was creating balls of fire and throwing them at the wall.

"You!" I hissed, trying my best to glare but then he _smiled_.

"Hey, I thought you'd never wake up. I was getting really bored," he stated casually.

_He's kind of cute._ My eyebrows shot up at that. _Kat, you idiot! He kidnaped you! Bad girl!_

He laughed now; it didn't sound quite genuine to me. "You're cute when you look confused like that."

I felt heat rise to my face and tried to cover it up with anger. "Quit trying to screw with my head!"

"Screw with your head? No, that's Zexion and Saïx's job. Not mine."

"Whatever. I don't take complements from people who kidnap helpless girls in wheelchairs," I snapped turning around and leaning on the bars.

The door at the end of the hall opened and closed. Light footsteps echoed down the hall and I looked past my current guard to the next one.

My eyes widened at the blonde boy, younger than I, that was supposed to have the day shift. The redhead kept his smile, stood and walked past the blonde while calling over his shoulder, "Watch out, Roxas, she's being a regular spitfire this morning. She might take your head off."

I narrowed my eyes after him and muttered, "Jerk."

The blonde, Roxas I guess his name is, looked up at me and then back down the hall after the other guy.

"Who? Axel?" he asked.

"Well I wasn't talking to you. Whoever that other guy was," I replied.

"Axel," he told me sitting in the chair the redhead had previously occupied.

"Hmm..." I grinned at him. "You know what that would be if you pinched your tongue and said it, right?"

Roxas grinned back at me and then looked down the hall again. "He's not so bad."

"Not so bad?! Dude, do you even know how I got in here? It was _that_ flaming haired lunatic!"

"Hey, maybe you should stop being so mad at him. I mean, his orders were to turn _all_ the inhabitants of your world into Dusks but he let you go."

"Dusks," I murmured. "Is that what he turned my family into?" I was just thinking out loud but Roxas answered me.

"Yeah, but those were just his orders, not like he did it on purpose."

I glanced at the blonde from the corner of my eye. "Why are you defending him?"

Roxas examined a boot as he spoke, "Nobodies don't have feelings so there aren't really friends in the Organization but we come pretty close."

Nobodies? The Organization? What was this kid talking about? I'll have to ask Demyx next time I see him.

"Jeez, man, if you wanted a friend, you didn't have to resort to him. Just come see me."

Roxas grinned again. "Demyx said your name was Kat, right?"

I nodded. "That's me."

Roxas and I got along just as well as Demyx and I did but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't convince me that Axel was actually a good guy. I didn't fall asleep early tonight and so I noticed when the night shift guy came in.

He was another one of those that intimidated me what with the two guns he carried and the huge scar across his left cheek not to mention the creepy orange eye and the eyepatch. I almost laughed at how long his ponytail of grey and black hair was but I held it back. Plus his surfer's accent could give anyone the giggles. He set up a target down the hall to practice. Needless to say, it wasn't a boring night.

Th day shift guy was a short haired blonde gambler with too many earrings for a guy. He introduced himself as Luxord after I pestered him. He speaks with what sounds like an English accent but I'm probably wrong.

Anyways, he taught me how to play Poker and Five Card Stud and even though I have a good Poker face, he's too experienced so I lost a bunch. He's fun, though, and fairly polite.

But since I played cards all day, I went to sleep early again because I hate math and numbers and creating strategies makes me tired.

* * *

Is 'strategizing' a word? Because my computer told me it wasn't and thought I was trying to spell 'stripteasing'. Yeah, I don't think so. But I could have sworn it was a word. Oh well. I have trouble speaking sometimes. (OK a lot of times.)

Review please!

Laters!!


	3. Chapter 3

The excerpt from a poem in here is indeed mine so don't steal it. (It's not good either so I don't know why you would.) So anyway, here comes the next chapter. But first, this thing because I forgot it last time.

Disclaimer: Let me check...nope. Still don't own jack, Jack.

Now without further delay...

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**Chapter Three: Out of the Cage**

"Kat!" I heard the whisper but decided to ignore it. "Kat!" This time I moaned and curled into a tighter ball. "Ka–at!" I still didn't move.

Suddenly I heard a blare of sound and water was dumped on my head. I sat up so fast that I fell off my cot only to look at a laughing blonde holding a sitar. "Demyx!"

"You're growling stomach was disturbing my composing. Here." He held a granola bar out to me. "It's all we had left that I could fit in my pocket."

"Thanks." I peeled the wrapper off and gave it to Demyx since I didn't have anywhere to hide it.

I put my legs through the bars and let them dangle over the edge while I watched Demyx scribble on some paper.

"You write words to go along with the music, Demyx?" I asked.

"Sometimes but I'm not very good at finding the right words. I just have an ear for the tune that should go with them," he explained.

"I like to write poems and that's basically what lyrics are," I informed him.

"Any good?" he questioned curiously.

A passage from one of my earlier poems came to mind and I spoke:

"_It's like a blank page,  
__neglected and forgotten about,  
__like the color was blown away by a shotgun gauge,  
__and the artist just sits and does pout._"

"Not bad," he nodded approvingly.

"It's part of my 'Nothing' poem. I've written better but that was all that came to mind," I went on dusting my hands from my granola bar.

"I'll write the music and you write the words," he said smiling.

I didn't know if he was serious or not so I shrugged. "Nah, I only write when I'm pissed or sad so I don't do happy."

Demyx shrugged now and continued to scribble on his paper.

"What are Nobodies?"

Demyx's pen jerked at the question. "Uh...what?"

"Nobodies. That's what you are, right? I mean, you wear the same uniform as they do and there are Nobodies in the Organization. Are you a part of it?"

He ran a hand over his face. "Oh man, how did you find out all of that?"

"Roxas told me. I don't think he meant to but he said 'Nobodies don't have feelings' and that there weren't 'friends in the Organization' but he and Axel were pretty close to it. I just figured that all the people in the Organization were Nobodies."

"Well, you're right," Demyx said scratching his head. "Nobodies are what is made when someone with a strong heart is taken over by darkness."

I was stunned. Demyx was created when someone turned evil? And Roxas, too? I was about to voice my disbelief when the door down the hall opened and that guy with blue-silver hair came through it.

"Hey Zexy, what's up?" Demyx asked.

"Zexy" was about to speak when something caught his attention. "I smell food." He looked at me suspiciously.

Demyx kept his cool. "Yeah, had a snack, see?" He pulled the wrapper out of his pocket.

"Whatever," Zexy droned. "Xemnas says she can be out as long as someone is with her." My jaw dropped. They were letting me out?

"I'll watch her," Demyx volunteered.

"Axel already said he would. He got her out," said Zexy.

As he went down the hall, a black oval spiraled up from the floor and Axel stepped out. I didn't say anything. What could I say? I had called him names and snapped at him and he still got me out. But he came to me and smiled that insincere smile like it made no difference.

"Hey Spitfire, are you going to attack me if I let you out?"

I sighed and dropped my shoulders. "As much as I would love to, I can't. They would probably lock me up again." I moved my legs so he could open the cell.

Fire crackled around his hand and he ran his fingertips over the bars and they blinked away. I guess they reacted to energy.

I looked at Demyx. "Well this is cool. So how am I supposed to go anywhere? Genius, here, didn't bring my wheelchair."

"You couldn't use it anyway!" Axel protested. "There are stairs everywhere!" He turned to Demyx who was watching him expectantly. "I'm not carrying her, she'll try to wring my neck!"

"Jeez, Axel, never thought I'd see you scared of a girl," Demyx commented.

"I'm not scared," the redhead grumbled but I was helped onto Demyx's back instead. Once again I was wrong. Even though he didn't look it, he was indeed fairly strong.

The first floor we visited was the one with the living room, dining room, and kitchen on it. The kitchen and the living room were connected so as we entered, I saw Roxas on the couch snacking and watching TV.

"Hey Roxas," I said. He didn't look at who was talking, just waved a hand distractedly and continued to watch whatever was on.

I rolled my eyes. All boys were the same, Nobodies or not. So I called, "Yo Rock 'em, Sock 'em, what's up?"

"Huh?" Now he looked. "You're out!"

"No," my voice was coated in sarcasm. I looked down at Demyx's shoulder as if I suddenly realized that I was being carried. "Oh my God! I'm free! Thanks Captain Obvious, I never would have figured it out on my own."

Roxas grinned and stood up. "So what're you doing?"

"Playing tourist." I snapped my fingers. "Dang, I forgot my camera."

So Roxas joined our group and we went to the other floors of this place. I saw Luxord again and that creepy blue-haired guy who I discovered was named Saïx. I also learned that Zexy's full name is Zexion and people gave him a nickname just to annoy him.

We almost got shot by the sharpshooter that I had met last night when we went to his room. Apparently it's like a game he plays with Axel, Demyx, and Roxas called "Enter my room and don't get shot." So anyway, his name is Xigbar and that big guy that had night duty that one time is Lexaeus.

Then, of course, there's that mad scientist guy who wanted to experiment on me. His room is cluttered with potions, beakers, and papers of data. His name is Vexen.

I also saw that room where they have meetings and the library/office of where their boss, Xemnas, is usually at. He wasn't there now. "Lucky for you," Axel said. I didn't know what he meant but I don't think I want to ask about it either.

Our last stop was Axel's room at the end of the hall that contained the sleeping chambers. It was black and red mostly with flames scattered in various places.

Demyx put me on the bed and then flopped down next to me. "You know, I never really noticed how big this place actually _was_ until I had to carry _you_ through it."

"Aw, I'm sorry Dem-Dems," I cooed, patting his stomach. He laughed lightly and gave me a playful push.

"Yeah, well, go laze in your own room 'Dem-Dems'," Axel mocked. Demyx tried to glare, then smiled, got up and left. Axel turned to the door.

"I'll go get you something to eat," he offered over his shoulder.

"Hold up," I said. He turned, shocked I guess, that I would speak to him without venom in my voice. "Thanks for...uh, sparing me and getting me out and all that. Um, why _did_ you do all that?"

He turned and leaned against the door before shrugging. "I didn't know I spared you at first and then, well, I couldn't just leave you there. Besides, I've never met anyone like you." He pointed at my legs. "And since I brought you here, I guess it's my responsibility to take care of you."

"Oh." I smoothed out the comforter beneath me. I was hoping it would have been because someone actually care but I forgot he's a Nobody and can't care.

Assuming our conversation was over, he stretched out a hand and stepped through a portal. I think half an hour passed before someone walked by: Saïx. Well, he didn't walk _by_ because when he spotted me on Axel's bed, he stopped and leaned on the door jamb.

I don't know if he expected me to say something but I didn't. I've said before that he scared me; well it's true and even more so now that he was looking at me with...uh, interest, I guess. And I couldn't get past those orange eyes.

He then smirked and took a few steps toward me. I swear I almost suffocated myself; I couldn't breathe while wondering if he was going to attack me.

But then I heard Axel's voice, "Saïx, get out of my room." Eye contact was broken and Saïx turned to Axel before he stepped out of the room and looked back at me, then "Hmph"-ed and continued on down the hall.

I kept watching the spot where he was as if he might come back. Axel's gloved hand waved in front of my face. "Hey, Spitfire! You alright?"

I shook my head. "Huh? Yeah." I took the plate that possessed the sandwich he was handing to me.

"I don't cook anything other than marshmallows so that's all you're getting from me," he told me and sat beside me on the bed. He looked at the door and then back at me. "He didn't say or do anything to you, did he?"

I shook my head and tucked my bite of sandwich in my cheek to comment, "He's creepy; I seriously thought he was gonna try and kill me or something."

"Everybody thinks that way about him," Axel told me. He laid back on his bed and wondered aloud, "Where am I gonna put you for tonight?"

* * *

And there it is. Yes, that poem is mine and yes it is terrible but like it was said in the chapter, it was the only thing that came to mind when I was writing this. But you will be happy to know (maybe) that I have gotten _much_ better since then.

Review please! Constructive criticism is welcome. I would like to know what I can improve on.

Laters!!


	4. Chapter 4

I wasn't going to update this today but I got a little more free time so I decided I would. This chapter takes place the same night as the last one did.

Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts it wouldn't be as popular as it is now so you should drop to your knees and thank the God of Video Games that I don't.

Again, sorry if anyone is too OOC. If it is too terrible then I could go back and change it. So if you think something is not right, review and tell me. Read on!!

* * *

**Chapter Four: Forgiveness**

I stared across the room at the blonde female that I was supposed to share a room with. So far I've discovered that her name is Larxene and that she doesn't like me for no apparent reason. Axel told me to go right to sleep but I couldn't with her glaring at me like that. Figures that he would put me with someone who hates me.

Eventually I got tired enough that I decided 'To heck with it. If she wants to kill me, she can do it while I'm asleep.' I had already been laying down in a sleeping bag on the floor so I pulled it over my head and called out, "Night!"

I guess I survived the night because I woke up the next morning, not very pleasantly, though. Larxene had tripped over me while trying to get to her closet and having forgot I was sleeping in front of it. I yelped when a knee came crashing into my gut and Larxene let out a string of curses. Boy if looks could kill...

I scurried out of the way and over to the wall to nurse my bruised self. There was a knock at the door and Roxas's voice floated in, "Larxene, can I come in and get Kat?"

"Yes, for Xemnas's sake, come in and get this burdensome girl!" she barked.

Roxas came in and dug me out of my sleeping bag before kneeling to help me onto his back.

* * *

"Whoa, what happened to _you_?" I raised my head as Demyx spoke to me when he entered the kitchen followed by Axel. I was currently on a barstool that was built into the kitchen by an island table. (It was smaller than the dinner table so it was only used for snacking.)

"Larxene tripped over her," Roxas answered for me from the living room couch.

"Ouch, did you hurt her?" Axel asked me.

"Leave m' 'lone," I mumbled against the table top.

At the same time, Roxas called, "Just her pride!"

"Looks like you got banged up, though," Demyx stated, sliding his hand under my face and lifting it up so he could examine my bruised cheek.

"I was the tripper not the tripee. And I was the cushion, too. Plus I didn't sleep for half the night because I was making sure she didn't kill me." I turned on Axel who had gone to the fridge. "Why did you put me with someone who didn't like me? Why not Roxas or Demyx?"

"Because they're guys," he said leaving for the living room with milk in hand.

"OK, so what's your excuse?" I grinned evilly when he turned to narrow his eyes at me.

"Quiet you." I don't know if he was talking to me or Demyx's snickering but it made us both laugh louder. Our laughter was cut short, however, when Saïx entered the kitchen.

"Well, I think it's time I go practice playing my sitar," Demyx voiced nervously.

"Yeah, me too," I agreed.

Demyx turned his head. "You're going to play a sitar, too?"

"Yeah, you're going to teach me," I said matter-of-factly.

"I a–?" I put a hand over his mouth and turned him around so I could jump on his back.

"We're leaving now, Demyx."

Out in the large, white hallway I felt it was safe to ask, "Now what?"

I felt him shrug underneath me. "I dunno. You wanted to come."

"Well it was either do that or stay with The Bane of Innocent Girls' Existence."

"We could go to my r–"

"_My_ room," came a voice behind us. I had just escaped death and now guess who was behind us? Yup, it was Vexen; Man Lady and Mad Scientist Extraordinaire.

"Remind me again, why would they want to go there?" Axel joined the conversation.

"So that we may discover more about this girl that you brought into our midst," Vexen explained calmly.

Axel took one look at my frightened expression, smirked, and spoke, "If you say so."

"Excuse me? Did you just give him permission to experiment on me?" I demanded.

Ignoring me, Axel commenced in gripping Demyx's hood and dragging him down the hall. "This way Demyx." The blonde underneath me was forced to follow so he didn't fall and crush me.

Roxas came out of the living room and called, "Hey, wait up!" He, too, joined the group and I glared at him for wanting to come watch.

I don't want to relive that horrific experience so you'll just have to know that Man Lady lives up to the latter title that I gave him. This guy is off the whack! He even made a spike of ice and poked me with it so he could put my blood on a slide to look at and in a beaker to test on. What a weirdo.

Demyx and Roxas seemed surprised (if they could be) when I started to bleed but Axel stood idly by and watched. I couldn't have hated him more. After all my experiences with needles, I couldn't deal with this.

I didn't talk to much anybody after that; I had been hurt enough for one day and I didn't think I needed to piss anybody else off or peak their interest, maybe I should say, in this case.

I stayed with Demyx in his room and listened to him play. His room was messy–typical boy. There were socks and other clothes on the floor along with other random piles of things. There were papers on the walls and floor with notes and lyrics on them. He also had a stand right next to his bed for his sitar so he could check on it before bed, which I thought was cute. He's just plain cute all over.

"I take good care of it," he told me.

"Good for you," I said, not at all sarcastic.

"You ever play anything?" he asked.

"Do video games count?" The look he gave me nudged me to admit, "I played a flute once but I sucked. I just kept it in my closet most of the time."

"Hey, why were you so scared of Vexen? I mean, he is pretty weird but you looked about ready to faint," he asked starting to play again.

"Well having twelve surgeries doesn't do much for having people near you with sharp objects," I spoke quietly. The strings on the sitar made a strange _twang!_ and Demyx abruptly stopped playing when he registered the 'twelve surgery' part of the comment.

"Twelve of 'em?!" he cried. "Jeez, I only saw the one scar when your shirt got lifted up." He pointed to my left side.

"That's because most of 'em are in places you _shouldn't_ see," I remarked then held out my wrist showing a vivid green vein. "See that? I started thrashing when I was coming out of anesthesia and they were moving me so no one could hold me down; I ripped out two IV's. I think I damaged it 'cause now it's stiff and the tendon is hard."

"Ouch," he winced. We were quiet for a while until Demyx offered his sitar to me. "Do you really want to learn how to play?"

I grinned. "Heck yeah!" And that's what I did the rest of the day until I had to go back to Larxene's room to sleep.

–_**Dream Sequence– **_

_I was in the middle of a city, not one known to me. It was rainy and desolate except for two figures fighting near a tall building with neon lights. They were dropping through the air at an alarming rate._

_I lost my breath when I was suddenly up there hurtling through the air by the figure on the right. As lightning cracked across the sky, I saw a glint off of the blue eyes and I caught my breath again. _

_Roxas? But who was this and why was he fighting them? They began falling faster than I was and then they disappeared from my sight and the scenery changed. I was still falling but now I was by a clock tower and it was in the twilight hours instead of at night._

_I was flipped over from my head first position to a sitting one and I landed on a ledge. I blinked at the people sitting beside me, especially the blonde. Roxas? But he looked so different now, being out of his cloak and smiling constantly at the other three people. Why wasn't Axel here, though? Weren't they best friends?_

_I was now pushed off of the ledge by an unknown force and I landed on black ground in front of a cloaked figure. I was terrified which was strange because I had seen many people in black cloaks. In fact, now that I looked, I was in one myself but this person seemed to draw on the darkness and become more powerful by the second. _

"_Wh–Who are you?" I stuttered. _

_The figure took a few steps closer and lifted its hood just enough that I could see silver hair and bright orange eyes in a tanned face. He let the hood drop back in place and then held a hand out to me._

_I didn't know what to do but I didn't have to make a decision as Axel jumped in front of me wielding, um, chackrams, I think they're called._

_They started battling and the next thing I know, Cloaked Guy is gone and Axel is laying before me looking blurry around the edges and sliding in and out of focus. The scenery had, once again, changed. We were now in what looked like a tunnel of swirling colors, one end dark and the other a red color._

"_Axel..." I looked to the other side of the pyromaniac. Was that Roxas? No, it wasn't. The hair was brunette and the voice was different but the eyes looked the same. _

_I felt warm wetness slide off my face. I was...crying? For Axel? A tear slid between my lips and I tasted salt._

"_Hey, knock it off," Axel ordered, raising a hand weakly to wipe a tear from my cheek. He then grabbed the collar of my cloak and dragged me down so he could tell me, "No more crying. Help this twerp out for me will ya?" _

_He disappeared from view and everything went dark again._

–_**End dream sequence– **_

My eyes snapped open and I sat up. Where did all that come from? I looked over at Larxene who was still sleeping.

I tasted salt again and felt my face only to find it wet. I actually was crying! It was then that I realized that I didn't want any of that to happen and that even though Axel pissed me off, I didn't hope for his death. I couldn't believe it! I was scared for Axel!

I silently crawled to the door and opened it. After checking the hall and finding no one, I made my way down the hall a little and to the opposite side where Axel's room was. Upon reaching it, I used to frame to push myself to my feet.

I knocked as quietly as I could but loud enough that I thought he would hear me. It sounded so loud in the huge hall of silence. After a minute or so, the door opened and there stood the redheaded pyromaniac.

"Hey Spitfire, how'd you get over here?" He grinned but upon noticing my tear streaked face asked, "Kat? What's the matter?"

My mouth wouldn't form words so I did the only thing I felt like doing. I buried my face in his rib cage and started to quietly sob.

He stood there shocked for a second and then bent slightly to put an arm under my knees and pick me up. He took me inside, softly shutting the door with his foot and then put me on the bed.

I wouldn't tell him what happened. I didn't want to start another fight because he thought I was dreaming about his death.

"So...you want to stay here tonight?" he asked.

I sniffled. "I thought you didn't want me to stay with any guys."

"Well you wanted to stay with a friend last night. How about tonight I let you?" He laid down on the bed.

* * *

Awww!! Writing stuff like this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Sorry about the last part but I was really sad when Axel faded so if I was really there when it happened, I would probably cry. Hopefully it wasn't too mushy gushy for you guys.

Review please! I love to hear what you have to say!!

Laters!!


	5. Chapter 5

(Sobbing.) Why?! Why must the weekend be so short? I don't _want _to go back to school tomorrow! And my brother went back to work today and I won't get to see him for a long time!

Disclaimer: Do you want me to feel worse? FINE!! I don't own anything pertaining to the awesome game on which this story is based.

At any rate, here's Chapter Five.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Information**

I wasn't one to show affection to anything other than my pets and so likewise I never expected to get any in return. So you can imagine how surprised I was when I woke up beside a guy I barely knew; the strangest part of it being that I didn't really care.

Upon recollection, though, I guess I always did like things with natural warmth like hot springs or fires so when I felt that while waking up, I wasn't too concerned.

What did catch my attention was the pair of arms wrapped around my waist. Since I knew I was supposed to be on the floor in Larxene's room, I was a little confused as to why they were there. Of course, right about then was when the morning amnesia wore off and I remembered coming to Axel's room.

That being who I was with, I wasn't worried any longer and apparently he didn't care either since he also had his head resting on top of mine and seemed quite comfortable. I listened to his light breathing and then decided to sleep some more.

I nestled further into the cloaked body and decided if he didn't care, neither did I and I had some sleep to catch up on.

I was only half asleep when "Axel!" boomed throughout the room. My whole body jerked and Axel propped himself up on his elbows to yell up at the ceiling, "What?!"

"Come to the meeting room and bring the girl with you," the voice thundered again.

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Axel sitting up and stretching. He glanced at my freaked expression and then snickered.

"What?" I demanded. "It's not every day that I get woke up by talking ceilings!"

"You wouldn't have heard it if you didn't come here last night." So he _did_ care that I came here last night? He then grinned and as if he read my mind spoke, "Not that I object. You know, you have really good reflexes. Are you sure you can't walk?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Shut up."

* * *

I scanned through the table of people from near the doorway. They all had the same bored yet superior look to them. Aside from Demyx and Roxas, of course. Roxas looked like he just woke up and Demyx had that smile in place.

"Welcome to The World That Never Was," spoke a silver haired guy at the head of the table who, oddly enough, looked only slightly different from the guy in my dream. His comment earned mock laughter from the others.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and shrank back more into Axel's hand that was on my shoulder to hold me on my feet. His grip tightened a little more; I don't think he liked this guy either. The man's greeting didn't make me feel welcome. After all, they put me in that cell downstairs.

"Have you met all of Organization XIII?" asked the guy. I shook my head. "Who have you not met?"

I tilted my head back to look at Axel who nodded minutely meaning it was alright to speak but even so I didn't want to.

I gestured to the guy at the head of the table, another dude with dreadlocks and one final dude with pink hair. It was kind of creepy.

The dude with dreadlocks growled out, "Speak, girl, we know you're not mute."

Axel's hand tightened a little more on my shoulder and before I could think, words were tumbling out of my mouth. "I have a name and it's not '_girl',_ it's Kat. And I don't have to talk to you if I don't want to." I was tired of being intimidated.

Another round of almost amused laughter spread around the table except for my two friends. Demyx looked kind of shocked but impressed and Roxas gave me an unnoticed thumbs-up.

"Very well then, Kat," said the silver haired guy. "I am Xemnas, this is Xaldin, and that is Marluxia. Do you know why you're here?"

I pointed behind me at Axel as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Xemnas made a noise that was convincing enough to be considered a chuckle. "No, I mean, do you know why we wished to speak to you?"

"Because you're–" Axel's thumb dug into my shoulder. "–amused by me?" I corrected myself.

"As true as that may be, that is not the reason," said Xaldin.

"Do you remember the experiments that we conducted on you yesterday?" Man Lady spoke up.

I grit my teeth. "Oh, how could I forget such a joyous occasion? You stabbed me with a frickin' piece of ice you–!" Axel's free hand came up to cover my mouth and he bent down to my ear.

"Chill out, Spitfire."

I pried his hand away and backed down, once again leaning back into his hand.

"I think we should share the results now for fear of another outburst taking place," Xemnas mused to Vexen.

"Very well," said Man Lady. "Are you aware that you are a Half Nobody?"

I blanched and leaned further back disbelievingly. "I'm a...what?"

"You are aware of what a Nobody is, correct? Demyx told us that he explained it to you," said Xemnas.

I looked at the blonde musician. He was smiling nervously and I cursed my curiosity.

"Yeah, but I wasn't taken over by darkness," I objected. "And how could someone be _half_ a Nobody?"

"Perhaps something that happened when Axel was at your world," Xemnas guessed. "A Half Nobody could be created when half of a heart is stolen by a Heartless. I would guess that the Heartless was defeated after only consuming half of your heart and so your Heartless and Nobody were not created separately."

"Meaning...?" I was confused.

"You're Nobody and Somebody are still connected thus you, a Half Nobody, were created," Saïx explained.

"But I'm still me, not two people. And my heart never..." I froze when I suddenly remembered what _had_ happened the day Axel showed up at my world.

* * *

–**Flashback– **

_The sky had grown dark dangerously fast and the wind had picked up so I was fairly certain it was going to storm..._

_Or, at least, I was until I saw some black things attacking the people of my town. They looked like bugs with their big yellow eyes and the antennas but they jumped and waddled like a fish out of water._

_I wheeled on down the sidewalk since I hadn't attracted any attention. I had to get home and help my family. But then something crashed into my back, the force tipping my wheelchair forward and sending me face first into the ground. _

_I was looking up at the blackened sky trying to come out of my daze when a pain formed in my chest. It felt like something was ripping out my heart and when I looked down, there was one of those black things with its clawed hand in my chest._

_A colorful bulge started coming from where its hand was and the bug bent down and bit it. I felt immense pain shoot throughout my body and my lungs wouldn't gather air. I was sure I was going to die when another dark blob flew out of nowhere and knocked the bug back. _

_While my vision was returning from black, I saw half of the colorful blob float up to the sky. I sat up and saw my savior: a cloaked figure. They looked at me before nodding what I took as a 'You're Welcome' and stepped through a black portal._

_I got into my wheelchair and continued my journey home. If those things were after people' s hearts..._

_I sped up but, of course, I was too late and that's when Axel came into the picture, throwing me over his shoulder and bringing me back here. _

–**End Flashback–

* * *

**

"...maybe it was," I spoke softly.

"So now you understand." It was a statement that came from Xemnas, not a question.

I sighed. "Yeah, so now what do you want from me? I have a strange feeling you didn't tell me this just to be generous."

"Clever girl," I heard Luxord remark.

"We simply want you to be a guest in our home," said Xemnas.

"And...?" I persisted. C'mon he knew I would know that there was more, right?

"And to be a...member in training, if you will," Xemnas concluded. That earned another round of mock laughter.

"Do I get a false ID?" I asked next.

"My, aren't we full of questions," voiced Marluxia.

"I'm not an idiot. If I were to join an Organization, I wouldn't keep my real name. I'm sure you don't either because you have to separate yourselves from the other people, am I right?"

"True," said Xemnas. "But I wasn't anticipating renaming you; you _are_ only a Half." I glared. So since I was only a Half, did that mean I was any less important than the rest of them? Upon noticing my facial expression, Xigbar decided to speak up.

"Something simple." He looked at me. "You answer to Kate, little dudette?" I shrugged and he looked at Xemnas. "Katex."

* * *

That's it for this chapter. The name is pronounced **_Kay-tex_** but I'm sure you already figured that out. You guys are smart. I may have exaggerated Xigbar's speaking style a little bit, too, but I thought it was cooler that way.

Review Please! It will make me feel better.

Laters!!


	6. Chapter 6

Well I had Chemistry homework tonight and company coming but I decided to type this up quick because I am loyal to my readers. (However many of you there may be.)

Disclaimer: I don't even own the pen I wrote this with, how could I own Kingdom Hearts? Oh, and I also don't own Chocoholic Ice Cream. If I did, I would be very rich and very fat. It is yummeh!!

Read on!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Discoveries**

I tugged on the gloves for my new uniform and laced my boots. After the meeting yesterday, I had been told of the goal of the Organization and then I got a uniform.

I had to smile when I remembered how Axel had struggled to find some pants to fit me. In the end, I had to wear the same size as Roxas and even then they were too big. I had to wear two belts and the legs spilled over the tops of my shoes almost hiding them from view. I didn't care, I thought it looked stylish.

There was a knock on Larxene's door and I hurriedly reached for my cloak. "Just a sec!" I called.

"It's just me," came Demyx's voice.

"Oh, you can come in," I said and in he came. There was no need to be formal around the Melodious Nocturne.

He gave me a once over. "You look good in black."

"It's about the only color I _do_ look good in," I mumbled fiddling with the zipper.

"Here," Demyx offered. He fit the zipper better and pulled up on the fabric while he jerked down on the zipper. (1)

"Thanks, Dems," I smiled.

"No prob. You're a mess, who are you going to see?"

"Saïx."

Demyx took a step back. "What for?"

"He's going to teach me how to summon weapons," I told him.

"Got anything in mind?" he asked.

"Think of my name," I said.

"Katex, what does that have to do with anything?" he wondered.

I growled. "My name is Kat. I'm not going to use the other name until _they _stop using it as an insult." He held up his hands defensively. I smiled. "Kat. Guess what I'm gonna use."

"Um..." He put a hand to his face in thought. I held a hand up and pointed at my fingernail. "Claws?" I grinned.

"Suits you." I looked at the door where Axel was now standing. "If anyone pisses you off, you can _really_ claw their eyes out."

"Shut up."

Demyx took me out and to the room of the Luna Diviner. Saïx had been staring up at the heart shaped moon that was to serve as our Kingdom Hearts. He turned as we entered and Demyx set me down on the floor.

"Good luck," he whispered in my ear before he took his leave.

Saïx barely acted like he noticed the musician had left. He hadn't stopped looking at me since we came through the door and it was starting to unnerve me.

"Um, you were supposed to teach me how to summon weapons?" I squeaked as he approached me. He yanked me up by my arm and looked me up and down, then scoffed at how pitifully short I was when he noticed my pants. But even then, he didn't stop staring at me.

"OK, what it so interesting that you think you have to keep staring at me like that?!" I demanded.

"I'm simply testing how long it will take for your powers to show," he stated nonchalantly.

"Well, quit! It's scaring me!" Then I realized what he said. "Wait! Powers?"

"Of course, you have power over the atoms in the air," he informed me.

"Why doesn't anybody tell _me_ this stuff?" I asked grudgingly. How could I have something to use against them later if they already knew everything?

Saïx came as close to a smile as I'll ever see from him that day. If it could even be considered a smile at all. "Did you have a weapon in mind?"

I decided it would be best not to play the guessing game with him. "Claws."

"Claws," he repeated less impressed that I would have hoped. "That's simple enough."

"It is?" If it _was_ so simple, why couldn't I do it already?

"You only need to envision them and put energy into making them. After they are created, you only need thought to summon them when need arise."

No specifics then. I closed my eyes and thought of leather glove-like things with claws built in. (2) I flexed my hands after I coated them in energy and felt the stiffness of the new weapons. I opened my eyes to find that they had turned out as I envisioned them and even though they were stiff, they were comfortable like a brace for a sprained wrist.

"Woo hoo!" I cheered at my success. "And on the first try even!"

"Yes, you've created them. Now you have to summon them over and over again until you can perform the task while you are sleeping," Saïx reminded me, sucking the greatness out of my accomplishment.

Why would I want to summon them in my sleep? I have no clue but Saïx would probably clobber me if I asked, so I didn't.

After the reminder, I sighed knowing I still had work to do. "Aw, crap on a crutch."

* * *

"So? How'd it go?" Roxas asked me.

I was curled up on the kitchen counter with a bowl of Chocoholic Ice Cream and a package of cookies. I made a fist and threw it towards his face as if I was going to punch him, my claws materializing along the way. It stopped three quarters of the journey as the blades shot out their full six inches and the first one stopped a centimeter from his nose.

"I've been doing _this_ repeatedly all day with no breaks. Do you really want to ask me that question again?" I spoke calmly, yet menacingly.

"Uh, no?" Roxas guessed. I lowered the claw. I wouldn't really hurt Roxas; he was my buddy but I wasn't in the mood to answer questions that already _had_ answers.

"Good boy. Have a cookie." I took one from the package and tossed it into his hand.

"Whoa!" I heard Xigbar's surfer laugh.

"And I have to deal with her pleasantries all day tomorrow," came Luxord's English accent.

"But I actually like you," I mumbled.

* * *

"I'm supposed to teach you how to make your powers take shape?" Luxord asked, shuffling a deck of cards and then tossing them over his shoulder to catch them with his other hand. Come on we all know he uses his energy to make his fighting cards and dice.

I nodded. "That's what Xemnas told me." I watched him shuffle the cards again.

"How about we play for it?" he suggested. "Each time you win, I will teach you a new ability."

"But at that rate, I'll never learn anything!" I objected.

"Your choice." Luxord tossed the deck over his shoulder and between his hands again. I should have known better than to ask for the Gambler of Fate. But if not him, it was either Marluxia (who I didn't know) or Xemnas (who I didn't like).

"OK, but I'm not playing Poker. We already know I'm not good at that. The only other games I know how to play are Go Fish, Speed, War, King's Corner, and Liar."

"Most of those are too simple. I haven't played Speed," Luxord said thoughtfully.

"Speed it is then." I held my hands out expectantly. "Cards, please." He forked over the deck he had been shuffling and I mixed them again, doing to bridge several times. I couldn't be sure if he stacked the deck so just to be safe...

"OK, so we each get half the deck," I started as I divided up the cards.(3) Luxord took a seat in front of me. "Then we each lay down four cards and we look for pairs or three of a kind. You can play on your cards or my cards but since you're trying to get rid your cards before me, you should mostly play on my side. Unless, of course, you have no other choice."

I wasn't sure if it even made sense to me so I demonstrated by flipping over several cards in my hand and laying them on matching Queens. "When you're done..." I tossed my cards in the middle and held out my hands. "...Speed."

I won the first match easily because Luxord was still getting used to how the game was played.

"If I am going to teach you anything, it should first be a way for you to get around." I winced at the hint of mockery in his voice at my immobility. I nodded nonetheless, though.

"Concentrate on the atoms in the air near you. Not in the whole room, just within, oh say...a three foot radius of yourself."

I groaned. "I hate concentrating; it reminds me of Algebra."

"To learn something such as this, you have to concentrate for me to teach you. We can get Vexen to help you with your Algebra."A small smile was allowed to grace his face and it suddenly occurred to me that even though he was an older guy, (not _old_, but old_er_) if he smiled like that more, he'd be handsome.

I didn't dwell too long on that. I closed my eyes and reached out to feel the atoms with my senses. I was only slightly aware that the air became thicker around me and a little harder to breathe.

"That's good. Now use them to move yourself," Luxord instructed further.

I envisioned the group of particles dividing and becoming like a pair of arms. I then wrapped them around my torso and used them to lift me onto my feet. I felt like I was a teddy bear being carried in a child's arms. I gained my feet and then freed the atoms so I could open my eyes and look at Luxord.

"You learn fast," came the compliment.

"Thanks, always did. My one-track mind keeps me on the same project until I finish it so I have to learn fast."

"Now..." He took a pair of dice from his sleeve and tossed them across the floor. "...use that ability to retrieve the dice."

I felt the air thicken as I began to concentrate again. I took shallow breaths while trying to get the atoms to pick me up. My head started to ache and a pain shot down my neck. I felt myself visibly shudder and then my throat began to feel scratchy and I coughed. I lost my thoughts when I felt blood enter my mouth and I fell backwards.

I didn't greet the floor, however, because a pair of arms caught me. It's not hard to guess who it was–brown eyes met blue.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I suppose it was too much stress on your body to try and control that much." I found my feet again and looked at the Gambler.

"So how do I do it, then?"

He put the back of his right hand to his face and held the elbow with his other hand. "Perhaps if you divided the atoms into groups like last time, it is less strenuous on your body. In a large group, atoms can be harmful; but in smaller, more normal portions like those in the air you breathe they are harmless. Try to create something to ride on and use the remaining atoms to keep your balance."

I decided on something like a snow board to ride on. After all, I loved being on my feet. Like Luxord suggested, the rest of the atoms were used to keep my balance.

After perfecting my transportation skills, I learned an attack since we had some extra time.

"Like this?" I asked. My palm was face up and had an almost transparent red orb in it, meaning the atoms were charged.

"Right. Now use it on this Dusk." Luxord waved his hand and a silver thing wiggled up from the floor. It looked at me, swaying back and forth and then began to walk toward me, its legs stretching and then going back to normal so that it closed the distance fast. I only had a minute to register that _this_ was a Dusk and that if I didn't dispose of it, it _would_ hurt me.

I looked at the orb and then pointed it toward the lesser Nobody calling out, "Air Grenade!" The orb sailed toward the silver thing and it could only shrink back before it exploded. A murderous grin spread over my face. _That_ helped calm my temper.

* * *

Whew! Another chapter down. I actually got all my other stuff done when I took a break so now I can go to bed early so I'm not late for school tomorrow.

(1) I always thought it was weird how the cloaks zipped down. They do, don't they?

(2) If you want a better idea of what they look like, look at a picture of Wolverine from X-Men. They're like that only they don't come out of her hands like his do.

(3) This is my version of Speed. I learned it from someone but the person I thought it was that taught me doesn't remember so now I don't know where I got it. But it's still fun. :D

Review Please! I love to hear your comments!

Laters!!


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter is mostly just for fun. (And to take up some time.) The next chapter will be the same thing and then it will go back to the Kingdom Hearts story line. Speaking of which...

Disclaimer: I don't own the air that I breathe so Kingdom Hearts and everything else in here is definitely not mine.

Here you go!

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Confusion**

"Hey Larxene, who is making breakfast?" I called to the Mistress of Lightning who was fixing her hair in the bathroom while I was getting dressed.

"Zexy, I think," she stated.

"PANCAKES!!" I cried excitedly. (1) I hadn't been here long but I had already learned that when Zexion makes breakfast, we get _the best_ pancakes ever. Even Axel agreed and usually he won't eat anything that isn't overly spicy or just plain on fire.

I made my atom board and called my balancing atoms to me and then bolted out the door and slid down the hall. Upon reaching the spiral staircase to the kitchen, I leaned sideways and sent the atom board onto the wall and rode the winding marble until it straightened into a hall where I gradually made my way back onto the floor.

I noticed Marluxia and Luxord walking down the hall from the kitchen/living room. Well, they were in the middle of the hall and I had no intentions of stopping.

I leaned back and grabbed the invisible end of the atom board. Right about then, the two noticed my nearing presence.

"Excuse me!" I called and slid between Marluxia's legs. Once past, I saw Flower Man turn to Luxord as I stood back up.

I faintly heard him say, "I blame you."

As I turned forward, I realized I probably should have decided to stop because I passed the kitchen door and was headed straight for a railing that, on the other side, plummeted down fifteen feet. I wasn't going to stop in time.

"Woops!" I yelped as I collided with the railing and flipped over it. Lucky for me, my hands grabbed the railing and saved me from my doom. "Aw, fudge."

I heard an all too familiar chuckle come from above me. "If you're going to kill yourself, why not do it for a worthy cause?" Red hair drooped in front of me as Axel bent over the railing to grab my waist and pull me up.

"Like my experiments." Oh boy, Vexen.

"That's not worthy!" I growled once on my feet again.

"More so than dying just for the thrill of it."

"I beg to differ," I mumbled crossing my arms. "Anyway, what do you want me for now, Man Lady?"

"Respect your elders. And after breakfast, come to my lab. You'll find out there." That said, he stepped through a portal, presumably to his "lab".

I looked at Axel after regaining my atom board. "Pancakes?" I suggested.

"Pancakes," he agreed.

After scarfing down several pancakes and thanking their maker, we headed out into the hall with Demyx and Roxas.

"Are you really going to make me go see Man Lady? He's going to poke me again or something," I pleaded with Axel. He shrugged in response.

"Why do you keep calling him that?" Roxas asked.

"Well, he _is_ a guy, or so I've been told but that's up for debate. But he has long, girlish hair and a girly laugh." I shrugged. "He shouldn't feel too bad; I give nicknames to everybody."

"Who am I?" Demyx and Roxas asked at the same time.

I giggled at them. "I'll go down the list. Xemnas is Old Windbag because we all know he loves to hear himself talk. Xigbar is Bullseye for obvious reasons. Xaldin is Dreadlocks because he'd skewer me for anything else. We all know Vexen is Man Lady. Lexaeus I have dubbed The Gentle Giant." They chuckled at this. He wasn't so gentle when he used his tomahawk but I haven't experienced that so the name stuck.

"And Zexy?" Demyx asked.

"Sniffer since he uses his nose a lot. Saïx is psycho, again for obvious reasons."

"What about me?" Axel questioned unsurely.

"Red. I haven't thought of anything clever yet," I said, grinning mischievously.

"Who am I?" Demyx asked.

I smiled broadly and blurted, "Bubbles!" before enveloping him in a hug. Then I peered up at the blonde, my usual random thoughts coming into play. "We need to get someone to do that Spongebob 'squeak-oo' sound when we hug."

"Squeak-oo," the quiet noise came from Roxas.

"Yay!" I turned around and hugged him, too. This time Demyx said 'squeak-oo'. "Hooray, now we have a circle!"

"Anyway..." Axel broke us out of our squeaking. "You were on Number X."

"Snake Eyes. Larxene is Firefly...you know, those bugs with the light-up butts? Marluxia is Economic Girly Man. Roxas, you already know your's."

"Rock 'em, Sock 'em," he answered.

By now we had reached Vexen's "lab". Axel knocked and I called out, "Room service. You needed clean sheets?"

My male companions cracked up (falsely amused, of course) and then the door opened to reveal an angry Vexen. "It was Roxas," I said casually.

"What?!"

"Anyway, what did you want?" I demanded impatiently. I'd much rather be doing something more entertaining like playing video games. But since Axel was under orders from Xemnas, (Who knows what those might be?) he wouldn't let me leave until my purpose was served.

"To monitor you." Simply put, Vexen.

"Uh-huh. Vitals?"

"And how the atoms react to being under your control," he added.

"That's all?" I was shocked.

"For today." Figures.

"M'kay," I mumbled distractedly. I was reading labels on potions and looking at tubes full of glowing liquids. I took particular interest in a mixture that kept changing colors from the heat being added from a Bunsen burner. It was blue then pink then purple.

I jerked when a small explosion occurred in front of my nose and looked to my escorts. "Did you see that?" They nodded and then looked back when more explosions resulted.

Next thing I know, I'm looking up at Axel from the floor, broken glass and the mixture pooled around me.

"You alright?" he asked me, helping me back to my feet.

"Yeah," I said, clinging to the redhead and trying not to fall on the slippery substance. I finally gained my feet and by now, Axel was kicking a boot around in a ridiculous attempt to get the stuff off.

"What is this? Acid? It's attacking my feet!" he cried.

"It's not bothering me," I spoke calmly. "Axel, you can let go of my hand now."

"Well you can't feel your feet... and I would if I could." He tugged and I tugged but our hands were stuck.

I groaned unexpectedly, doubled over and called my atoms to balance me. "Now I feel it," I whined. I shut my eyes and felt a pulling sensation all over me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was quite a bit higher above the ground. "Hey, that potion made me grow."

"Yeah, well, it made me shrink." I turned toward the female voice and saw _myself_ looking back at me.

I pointed accusingly at it. "What is my body doing over there?"

"Uh, Axel...?" Demyx was looking at me.

"Demyx, do I _look_ like Axel?" I snapped. He and everyone else in the room nodded. "What? I do not!" I looked into one of the beakers for my reflection and saw Axel looking back at me.

I jumped away and shrieked, "What the heck is going on here?" Wait, I...jumped? Then I noticed my voice, er, Axel's voice.

"You're me!" I looked back to my body as it looked down and examined itself. I ran over and shook it by the shoulders. "How can you be so calm?! You have my body, you retard!"

"Wait! Wait! _Wait!_" Demyx burst into the conversation. He pointed to my body, "Axel?" It nodded. Then he pointed to me, "Kat?" I nodded. "What happened?"

Vexen decided to end his silence. "The crowd of atoms around Katex caused an explosion from being near the burner. I didn't know what that potion did. I suppose it caused her and Axel to switch bodies."

"I thought my chest looked bigger," he said poking one of my "friends". At this point, I cracked him upside his, er, my head. Dang, I bet that's going to come back and bite me later, too.

"Don't poke that, it's mine!"

He rubbed his head nervously. "Sorry."

"You better be," I grumbled and then turned to the Mad Scientist. "You better fix this."

He shrugged. "Why?"

I clenched my fists. What sort of stupid question was that? "Because, even if I am in this body, I can still do this!" I focused on Axel's chakrams. (2) They appeared in my hands and I spun around to point one of the spikes at Man Lady's throat.

"Fix it!" I ordered.

"Hey, those are mine!" Axel yelled.

"Not anymore." My voice was low and threatening.

Vexen was calm as ever when he responded, "I'll fix this for the research, not because I am frightened of your threat." I let the chakrams disappear to wherever they go when not in use.

"In the mean time, why don't we go tell Xemnas what happened?" said Roxas.

"No!" I shouted.

"Why not?" asked me, or, Axel.

"Because if we do, I'll probably get blamed for this and he'll kick me out and I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Well then what do we do? They'll find out anyway," Axel reasoned.

"We'll just have to act like each other," I replied in a tone that signified how brainless I thought they were not to have guessed that. Then when I remembered I was in Axel's body, I pointed to my temple and finished, "Got it memorized?"

Demyx and Roxas laughed at this. "She's pretty good," Roxas told them.

"I can't use your atom board," Axel reminded me.

"Just tell anyone who asks about it that you're tired," I said.

He shrugged. "OK." And then he became Kat. "Carry me Dem-Dems!"

As we left the room, I turned back to Vexen. "You don't tell either. I don't know you so I wouldn't feel bad if I had to kill you. Please just stay in your room like you're good at and find the cure. Please? Thanks in advance."

With that, I shut the door and followed the three, uh, two boys and the boy-turned-girl down the hall.

* * *

Dun, dun, duuuuuuuun!!! Ooh, what will happen next? I know but you'll just have to wait to find out. :D Maybe I'll put it up tomorrow if I don't have too much homework. We'll see.

(1) I was eating breakfast before school and this came to mind. I love pancakes but my mom can't make them very often anymore. Can you see Zexion in an apron that says 'Kiss the Cook'? I can and it is cute.

(2) I'm pretty sure I misspelled that in previous chapters. I apologize. This is how you really spell it, right?

Please Review!! I love to hear from you. It makes the school day much easier. And if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Laters!!


	8. Chapter 8

Oh jeez, I am tired. I had to ride in the car for four hours today and then I had to cook some treats for a bake sale tomorrow. I should go to bed but I really wanted to update this since I didn't have time to yesterday.

Disclaimer: I'm too tired to put up a fight. I don't own anything.

Read at your own risk.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Can You Keep A Secret?**

I backed further into the heat source behind me and snuggled deeper into my cloak. Wait, I was supposed to be in my pajamas. I rolled over and opened my eyes to meet confused blue ones.

"Uh..." Roxas backed away more and a hand came down hard on my shoulder to begin pulling me away from the blonde.

"Get my body away from there; that does _not_ look good." My voice? Oh, yeah, Axel and I got our bodies switched yesterday.

After we left Vexen's room, we got our dinner early and crashed in Demyx's room because no one (other than us) go in there.

I sighed and whacked Axel's, uh, my...whoever's...hand off my shoulder. I leaned against Demyx's bed and drew up my knees before heaving a sigh. "Can I have my body back now?"

Axel crossed my body's arms and then let them drop noticing where they were. "Believe me, if I could give it back, I would. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to sleep on your stomach with _these_ babies?" He asked laying his hands on my girls.

I swatted his hands down. "Will you _quit_ touching those?"

"Sorry, natural guy reaction."

"And it can't be too bad. I mean, at least they aren't natural pillows. I don't know if they're even classified as anything," I huffed. When I agreed to join this horde of psychos, I didn't count on getting bodies switched with a guy who's in love with fire and discussing my anatomy in a room full of guys.

"Will _you_ quit holding my knees? I don't do that!"

Demyx and Roxas cracked up at our squabbling despite the fact that we frustrated over being switched.

"Quiet!" we both snapped and the two blondes stifled their laughs to quiet snickers.

I sighed and hauled the redhead's gangly figure to his feet. "Well, at least I can walk now." I put my hands under my body's arms and hefted it up, too. Axel needs to work out more.

Then there was a banging on the door and, used to having the _wonderful_ reflexes we've come to know and love, I cried out and jumped before tripping over my own feet and falling on my rump. Alright, irony is officially my enemy.

"You can?" Axel snorted.

I frowned at him...her...whatever...anyway, then I got up and answered the door since I was the closest. Xigbar was there with what could be called a surprised expression.

"What did you yell for?" I had to hold back giggles from his surfer accent since I was in Axel mode.

"I fell," I stated shortly.

"You...fell?" he blinked his eye.

"Long story. You don't want to hear it," I advised as I strode past him and then turned on an after thought. "Got it memorized?"

"Whatever, dude. We have a meeting." He turned back to the others who had remained in Demyx's room. "You're supposed to come, too, Little Dudette," he told my body.

Demyx picked it up and piggy-backed it out of the room while Xigbar looked kind of disappointed. I think he looked forward to seeing me on my atom board everyday.

"Why not use your board, Atom Chick?" Again I restrained my giggles.

Axel shrugged. "Tired," he answered.

We made our way to the meeting room and Demyx set my body down in front of me. I attached a hand to its shoulder like Axel had the last time we were in here.

Once everyone was settled, Xemnas addressed my body. "Katex."

I waited for Axel to respond and when he didn't I pinched him..._hard_. His hand flew up to his shoulder.

I couldn't help it, I laughed. Even if it was just a chuckle coming from Axel's body, it still felt good to let it out. "That's you now, remember, _Spitfire_?"

"Oh yeah," Axel answered and looked at Xemnas. "What?"

"From what I hear, you are excelling in your training," said the Superior.

Axel looked up at me and I shrugged. He then turned back and muttered, "I guess."

"However," Xemnas continued on. "I would like to see for myself before we...rely on your services." A round of mock laughter ran around the table of Nobodies except for my two friends. I briefly wondered if faking laughter made them feel like they had hearts but then Axel tensed under my hand. Neither of us liked where this was going.

"So you will be tested in a fight against one of us." The Old Windbag looked at all the people around the table. "Who would like to test Katex?"

Demyx looked about to go into a panicked frenzy and Roxas was nervously playing with a tassel on his cloak while trying to think of a way out of this. Xigbar looked almost excited about the idea and Vexen looked as smug as ever. I just knew he was getting a kick out of watching our faces. Saïx and Luxord were leaning back as if to say 'We've done our part', much to my relief.

By now, I half expected Xigbar to raise his hand but instead, another hand went up. One belonging to someone...with pink hair.

I heard Axel utter a barely audible curse. We all knew that if Xemnas or Saïx didn't kill you first, Marluxia would come close. Axel was at a serious disadvantage not being able to use my atom board and _if_ he (by luck) summoned my claws, he needed to be in close range to use them. Marluxia's scythe would have him beheaded before he could even attack.

I couldn't make up an excuse as we all were suddenly engulfed by darkness and when I looked again, we were in a large white room with bleachers on the upper level and doors on the circular, lower level. It kind of looked like a colosseum.

I shook myself out of my gawking state. "Pep talk!" I hollered to no one in particular and flipped Axel around.

I knelt down to his level. "OK, I only have one attack that's long range and won't blow us all to an early grave. It's called the Atom Gun."

"How original," Axel remarked rolling his eyes.

I shook him slightly. "No time for your dumb comments if you don't want to die...If I don't want to die." I paused thinking about that correction before poking a finger at my body's nose and exclaiming, "You _better_ not kill me!"

Axel slapped the finger down. "I won't. Now how do I work this Atom Gun thing?"

"Easy. You just have to concentrate on forming the atoms into orbs along your arm. Call out 'Atom Gun!' and release them all at once. They'll know what to do from there." He nodded.

"Axel!" Demyx's voice caused us both to look and he beckoned me out of the area. As soon as I reached his side, an invisible barrier flashed up behind me. I turned and leaned on it in the most guy-like fashion I could think of: my forehead resting on my right arm which was bent in front of it.

Girly Man's scythe flickered into his grasp and I flexed my hand to remind Axel (who was still watching me) to summon my claws.

"Come now, Katex, don't look so lost," Marluxia called.

_More lost than you know_, I thought.

Axel balled his fists and frowned. Then my claws appeared on his hands and I smirked in my best impression of him.

Marluxia, of course, attacked first and Axel just stayed in that one spot blocking the swings from Girly Man's massive weapon. I winced slightly when a wide slash caught his arm and it started bleeding.

"Why doesn't she attack?" Xaldin wondered aloud. Larxene just scoffed.

"Come on Axel," Roxas whispered.

I guess now the boy-turned-girl decided it was a good time to try out the Atom Gun. He started blocking with just his right hand and began building up the atom orbs on his left (the one that had been cut). I could feel it somewhere in my subconscious.

When Marluxia raised his scythe above his head, Axel let him have it. "Atom Gun!" rang out and Girly Man caught all the blasts right in his gut. Next Axel swung his hand and caught a shoulder.

The Flower Man grunted and ground his teeth as he floated back a few feet and then charged in again. This time, Axel's leg (my body's leg) was sliced open and he fell to his knees while it commenced in gushing blood. My real body's legs were already weak enough as it was. I could only imagine how that affected them.

"That's it," I breathed pushing away from the barrier. I couldn't wait anymore and watch them abuse my body. It was now or never.

"Stop!" I yelled. "That's not Katex."

Axel blocked the next horizontal swing that I thought would surely decapitate him but it was only a half-hearted (or no-hearted) swing on Marluxia's part. They both looked at me, everyone did.

"What did you say, Axel?" Xemnas demanded.

"That's not Katex. I'm Katex. Yesterday we went to Vexen's lab so he could monitor me and I screwed things up like usual. Something exploded and our bodies got switched."

The Superior looked to Man Lady for confirmation. Vexen nodded. "It's true."

"And you didn't tell us this because...?" It was Zexion. I had never heard him talk before (or not more than two words, at least) and so I was caught off guard.

"I hate getting in trouble...more than anything else."

"Well this all sounds very strange coming from Axel's mouth. What say we fix it now?" Luxord put in.

"Have you found a cure yet, Vexy?" Larxene asked.

Vexen nodded. "This morning."

"What?!" Axel and I both shouted.

"Why didn't you come get us so we could fix this?!" my body yelled.

"You heartless, feminine-looking geezer! You just sat there and watched us squirm?! I'll knock that smug look right off your face!" I summoned Axel's chakrams and stalked toward him.

Lucky for Man Lady, though, Demyx and Roxas caught my arms and held me back from pummeling the Nutty Professor. I growled and pointed a chakram in his direction. "You'll get yours, Gramps!"

"I did it to put you in your place. You're not a member of the Organization–not yet–and even if you were, I'd still be one of your superiors." Then on an after thought, he added, "And if you keep insulting me, I won't give you the cure!"

I backed down at that. I needed my body, not only because it was in need of a shower but because I missed it.

Vexen handed me a vial with some greenish-brown stuff in it. It looked like someone had already drunk it and then threw it back up.

"Each of you gets half and then get some rest. In fact, I suggest you be near a bed because it works almost instantly." I nodded at the instructions and then went to my body after deciding I probably would regret asking how he knew it worked 'almost instantly'.

We went up to Axel's room since we didn't want to be in the room I shared with Larxene when she came back. We took some cups with us and I poured half of the vial into each one.

I plopped down on the edge of the bed next to my body and handed the other cup to it.

I raised mine in a sort of toast-like manner. "To as good as you are and as bad as I am. And to as good as I am and as bad as you are. I'm as good as _you are_ as bad as I am." (1)

Axel cocked a brow and I shrugged. "It's a toast in one of my ancestral heritage's lands." He still looked confused. "OK, let's try this one. It was fun being able to walk for a short time."

"Yeah," Axel agreed. "It was fun having limited emotions for a while but now it's time to end this."

"Bottoms up." We drained our cups and I closed my eyes, feeling that strange pulling sensation again.

When I opened them, I was in the position Axel had my body in a moment ago, staring at the redhead himself and thinking that that potion tasted kind of like a mint patty.

"I feel funny," I drawled watching the room start to spin. My body went limp and I fell back onto the cushy pillows at the head of his bed.

"I wish I had carpet," Axel commented. I was confused as to why until he started to fall back off the bed.

"Don't fall that way, dummy," I giggled strangely, reaching a hand up to yank back on his cloak. He fell beside me instead and flopped an arm over my middle. I seriously think Vexen spiked that potion. Weird old man.

"What did you mean when you said you screwed things up 'like usual'?" Axel asked.

"Back on my world, I messed stuff up a lot whether it was relationships or family gatherings or whatever. I eventually started blaming myself for everything even if it wasn't my fault."

"No wonder you have such low self-esteem," Axel murmured into my hair.

"Yeah," I sighed closing my eyes.

"One more question."

"Yeah?"

"What was it like? Walking for the first time?"

I smiled. "It was...better than I imagined. Even if it wasn't in my body."

It was better than that but my lips were beginning to fail me. The truth was, I was ecstatic and I wanted to run all over the whole godforsaken castle but that would have made Axel look bad. I wanted to kick someone in the face just to know what it felt like which would have been more of what they expected from him but I didn't want to fight in his body. I'd lose and that would damage his reputation. And it would be a shame if he was no longer sexy with a capital 'S'.

Axel shifted onto his side more and pulled me closer to his chest. There's absolutely no better way to go to sleep.

* * *

This didn't end exactly how I intended but I didn't know how to change it to make it better. Oh well.

Hey, have you guys noticed that I like to use dots and italics a lot? And my paragraphs are short because I often use dialogue to tell the story? I guess it's a little late to be noticing that but whatever. I think I may have gotten carried away with Xigbar's speech again. Woops.

(1) This is an actual toast in a book that my brother has. Yes, a book about toasts. I think it's Scottish. The wording may be backwards but I think you get the idea.

Please Review! Even if it's to tell me my exhaustion seriously jacked up this chapter. I will understand.

Must...get...to bed!

Later–zzzzzzzz. -.-


	9. Chapter 9

Well I am tired and my head hurts so this chapter may have some mistakes. But that's OK because this is mostly just a filler. I was trying to connect the characters more so that's what it's for. It does get back into the Kingdom Hearts plot, though.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hope you like it.

**Chapter Nine: Gone?**

After the whole body switching ordeal, I stayed as far away from Vexen and his "lab" as possible. Axel wasn't around as often either so I just assumed he was doing the same thing I was and doing errands for Xemnas. It was alright with me but I did kind of miss the pyro.

I hung around Demyx a lot and Roxas, too, but he seemed a little more preoccupied to me. He didn't ignore me; if I asked him to hang out with me, he would and we'd have a good time but then he'd go back to thinking.

So it was only natural that I cuddled up to Demyx. I played more with his sitar and even though I couldn't play very much, Dems and I would resurrect oldies like 'Old Time Rock 'N' Roll' for the whole castle to hear. Neither of us were stupid, mind you, we did it when Saïx and Xemnas were gone. The rest of the inhabitants just ignored us and went about their usual business.

When Demyx was away, usually on scrounging duty (1), I hung out with our second in command: good ol' Bullseye. He didn't mind my company as far as I could tell. My atom board amused him and I wasn't offended if he used me as target practice because now I could escape.

If Xigbar and Bubbles were both gone, I usually went to the library which was when I started seeing more of Zexion. I read when I was in there so he didn't care if I sat across from him as long as I was quiet. We spoke a few more times but it was nothing major.

One time he asked me what my disability was called so he could look it up. (Hey, he had nothing better to read, he had just finished a book.) But other than that, we mostly kept to ourselves.

Once when Xigbar and Dems had been sent together on scrounging duty and Zexion was working on some project with Vexen, I dared to go ask Xaldin to train with me. What? Do you really want to hear another one of my near-death experiences? Didn't think so. Anyways, I came away with a cracked rib, torn back, a split lip plus numerous bruises and a guarantee that I wouldn't ever do that again.

The first time I was taken out of the castle was on scrounging duty with The Gentle Giant. He was very considerate and if I got behind, he waited for me to catch up. He asked my opinion on things and even explained some views he had which were very in-depth. All in all it was an enlightening trip.

Anyway, while we were out, I found a digital camera laying on a table in some random house. It was in good shape and even though I was no good with pictures (they usually turned out of my shoes), I liked technology so I took it along. I was out in the hall taking still pictures of plotted plants and shadows when Demyx showed up. He decided to take a shot at it and, after having me confirm his talent (2), he began taking pictures of the Organization.

At first it was the regulars: Axel, Roxas, Dems and I but after I took an accidental picture of Luxord in mid shuffle where the cards near his hands were blurred and the ones in the middle were clear, Demyx decided to expand the circle.

I had favorites of everyone. Yes, even I had a good picture. I was sitting in my black chair in the meeting room while we were waiting for everyone to show up. I had my legs up and crossed with my arms overtop. I had my head tilted and some wet hair from my loosed ponytail had fell in my face. The best part? I was wearing an actual smile.

This was special because I had come to realize that my emotions had been slowly deteriorating; things that used to make me cry or smile no longer did and I couldn't feel embarrassment, happiness or content. I was currently trying to ignore that.

Then there was the picture of Axel in the black leather recliner in the living room. I was in his lap with another rare smile on my face, leaning back with my hands behind his head. His hair was in my face as well as my own locks and his arms were wrapped around me.

Roxas and I had been caught slacking and playing Playstation. We had wireless controllers and I was stretched out over the couch and Roxas' legs with my head on the armrest. Roxas had his arms propped on my stomach. Demyx had snuck up and called to us while we were distracted so we weren't smiling but confused.

I had picked up a wire box later and gave it to Bubbles for his collection of photos. It was silver and had fish surrounding a place for a picture on the front. The one he put there was of myself and the musician. Dems had his sitar, his arm hooked over the top and his other arm around me and under my arm with a 'rock on' gesture. (3) I was standing and had my arm stretched up to his shoulder with the same gesture. We were both smiling and it was especially cool because we were standing in front of a white wall so it looked like we were hovering in blank space.

Shortly after that, I noticed that members of the Organization were beginning to disappear. Larxene was first and Vexen was next. I didn't really care about them because Vexen made me mad and I got Larxene's room but then Lexaeus disappeared and I was slightly disappointed.

Axel, one of the few times I saw him, told me that it was because of this kid named Sora who was a master of the fabled Keyblade, a weapon of power for the pure of heart. But the only reason I learned about that was because I found the pyro cut up in the hall and ordered him to tell me what happened while I wrapped him up. (He was delirious on potions for his pain at the time.)

Today was the day that I finally realized how our lovely X-I-I-I was now down to V-I-I-I (plus one) because now Marluxia and Sniffer had gone missing.

That Sora kid has really been busy but I guess he took a vacation to restore the memories that Naminé chick (who was working with us for awhile) took because he's been gone for almost a year.

All the time he's been running around, I've been training but I still haven't seen him. And I still haven't learned some certain, fairly important things...like how to teleport, for example.

The day seemed to pass like a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter. Xemnas was pissed beyond all measure about something and Saïx was pissed because Xemnas was pissed. Knowing this, I stayed in my room so I didn't send Psycho into berserk mode. Axel and Roxas were...somewhere and Dems was practicing with his dancers far away in the Dark City for the same reason I was hiding in my room. Everyone else was doing their own thing.

Around lunch, I ventured to the kitchen for a sandwich and also a chicken salad that would serve as dinner. Luckily, I only met Xigbar and we didn't exchange words.

At about eight, I heard Axel's door slam shut and because I really wanted to play a game before bed, I got up to ask where Roxas was.

I rode across the hall on my atom board and softly knocked on the door. Somehow, Axel always heard it. This time was no different as the door was thrown open by the redhead. He looked mad but I blamed it on fatigue, if a Nobody could even feel that.

"Hey, do you know where Roxas is? He's been gone all frickin' day," I spoke.

Axel's eyes narrowed and gleamed with something I had never seen before though I couldn't place what it was at the time. "Yeah, he's gone." That answer was a little curt.

I tilted my head. "Gone?"

"Yeah! Gone! He went AWOL!" I still held the tilt. This only seemed to grin on Axel's last nerve. "He's ditched the Organization! Do you understand now or do I need to make it simpler for you?!"

I slid back on my board out of shock. No matter how much I bugged Axel, he had never yelled at me. Never. I bowed my head and waited for the blame to be put on me. Involuntarily, my eyes welled up and I apologized, "I'm sorry."

No more came after that and the door wasn't slammed on my nose so I looked up. The pyro had just realized that who he had been yelling at would not take it very well. His eyes went back to normal and he calmed.

"Uhm..." He rubbed the back of his neck and then put a hand on my shoulder. "Come here."

I went inside and sat on his bed. "How come he left, Axel?"

He came over and did something we hadn't done in a while. He pulled me into his arms and we cuddled for a while. He rested his head on my shoulder.

"I don't know exactly why, Spitfire." I smiled at the name. "He said it was because he wanted to find out why the Keyblade chose him. So I guess he's going to meet Sora."

"Why would he want to do that?"

"Because, Kat...Roxas is Sora's Nobody."

I was silent for a long time. But wasn't Sora supposed to be a hero? I mean, I never thought the Organization was that bad, we were just looking for our place, so I thought Sora was an enemy. (Turns out I was on the wrong side but, hey, we can't all be heroes according to Hades.) But I knew Roxas was not evil so did that mean neither were the rest of us? And if Sora was a hero, how did he turn to the darkness and create a Nobody?

I mean, yeah, a Nobody (or something like it) could be created like the replica we made of that Riku guy. But then if that was how Roxas was made, he wouldn't belong to another person and he wouldn't want to meet him, right?

One thing fell from my mouth. "This is completely jacked."

Axel chuckled behind me. "Darn you. I'm _trying_ to _feel sad_ and then you make me laugh."

"Axel, if you can't feel sad that you just lost your best friend, then how can I make you laugh?"

"...I don't know."

I scoffed. "You're dumb."

"Shut up."

Wow, I haven't woke up in this room for a while. And not in this position for even longer. Of course, I wasn't bothered with spooning with Axel. Seriously, who wouldn't want to spoon with a hot guy?

Too bad it was short lived. We were called to the meeting room. All uh...one, two...seven of the real members plus one.

Xemnas got straight to the point. "You've noticed our numbers have decreased and now we've lost Number Thirteen?"

Ah, so he knew. That would explain why he was so mad earlier. I nodded.

"Your test was put off a while ago because of complications. I think now it is time we tested you."

Again I found myself in that white colosseum-like room. Only one problem. Marluxia had kicked the bucket, or whatever Nobodies do, so now I was facing Saïx.

"Oh fudge," I squeaked.

"Go easy on her, dude," Xigbar called.

Yeah right. Saïx, easy? Where have you been all this time, Patchy? OK, so a claymore against my six inch claws? How do you think this is going to end? I had a better chance against the six foot scythe. And that wasn't even me.

Saïx took his stance and I crossed my arms and then threw them down to my sides, making my claws. I also made my atom board and stood ready. Good for me, Saïx hadn't seen any of my attacks except for my Atom Gun.

In a flash, I was guarding my face from a crushing blow. I risked a swipe and barely caught Psycho's cloak before he jumped up and came down on his claymore, sending out a shock wave that sent me skidding into the invisible barrier.

"So much for going easy on me!" I yelled at Bullseye as my atoms set me back up. Saïx wasn't going to allow time for that either. I sent off an Atom Gun at his feet just as a distraction and ducked under the claymore.

After a few more minutes of fending for my life and not even attacking, I decided to be aggressive. I sent off another Atom Gun but at the ceiling to force him to move and then I shot one at his feet so he would jump away from me instead of at me. My plan worked and I was sliding between his legs before he even realized where I was.

I planted a bit of glowing energy on the floor and then got back up, grinning at the Psycho.

"What is so amusing, Katex?" he demanded in a growl that clearly said, 'Run!' I wouldn't have it.

I pointed at his feet and casually informed him of the glowing energy. "Flash Bomb."

The energy exploded and Saïx roared in frustration when he was temporarily blinded. I only had time to slide into the middle of the fighting area so that's where I put my next trap. I built up as much energy as I could without passing out into a fist and plunged it into the floor where I laid it. If this didn't work, I would be killed in seconds.

Saïx's vision returned to him and he glared death at me. I merely grinned in a way that said, 'Be afraid, I have something afoot.'

I skated over to the wall and turned to tell him, "Jump." I slid up onto the surface and continued up toward the ceiling as the ground erupted with the power of my Atomic Bomb.

I dropped my atom board as I reached the ceiling and flipped in midair to see Saïx had jumped from wall to wall and followed me. Yes! I crossed my arms, dropped through the air, and caught him by the shoulders, sending us both plummeting to the ground. Once we hit, I laid an arm over his throat and held a claw near his face.

"I misjudged you," Saïx admitted.

"That's OK, a lot of people do," I said using the atoms in the still tumultuous air to stand. "But that doesn't mean I'm too arrogant to know I could have been beaten." I offered him a hand but he ignored it and climbed to his feet.

"It won't happen again," he assured me.

Clapping sounded behind him and I looked to see the remaining members of the Organization, two of which were cheering a little loudly.

"Most impressive, Katex," Xemnas said.

Xaldin nodded. "Welcome to the Organization."

"You've earned it," Luxord told me.

"You will now be Number Thirteen, The Ally of Air's Atoms," Xemnas spoke again.

I looked at Axel. I had never thought I'd be official but apparently, they had a meeting without me and decided this. Red was, well, I guess you could call it smiling. The only reason I was Number Thirteen was because then we could still say we were Organization XIII. We both knew I couldn't take Roxas's place.

Hmm, this could very well be my longest chapter yet even if it was crappy, had a sucky fight scene, and was pretty pointless.

(1) Since The World That Never Was is pretty much deserted, I decided that they probably got their provisions from the buildings there or in other worlds where people used to live and left stuff behind.

(2) It seemed to me that Demyx didn't have much talent other than playing his sitar and looking cute so I decided to give him something new to do.

(3) I found a picture of Demyx like this on Google and got the idea to add me into it. Not very original. Oh well.

Comments? Suggestions? Questions about stuff that doesn't make sense? Leave it in a review!

Laters!!


	10. Chapter 10

I like this chapter, personally, I think it's cute. Good ol' Dem-Dems. Yeah, I don't have much else to say that won't send me into a rant. My advice: stay away from Geometry and Chemistry unless you are a flippin' genius and are awesome at math.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except this cold and I got that from my friend. If any of you want it, you can have it. I'll send it to you via coughed-on cookie.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: First Mission**

–**Third Person POV– **

Demyx walked down the long halls of the castle looking for Kat after reviewing his orders a few more times for good measure.

"Man, this is gonna take forever and I have to get going, like, right now." He ran a hand through his spiked blonde hair and then a light bulb sparked to life above him. (Figuratively, of course.)

Summoning his sitar, he struck a few chords and a moment later, a group of lesser Dancer Nobodies appeared skating toward the musician.

"What's up, boss?" one asked.

"Are you going to practice with us again?" asked another.

"Not today, girls, I've got a mission." A groan emitted from the group. Demyx went on. "But I was wondering if you could help me find someone. That Kat chick I keep talking about? Short, brown hair, brown eyes? Think you can snag her?"

"Sure thing, boss." And with that, they scattered down different halls.

* * *

–**My POV– **

I was just finishing getting dressed when there was a knock on Larxene's...uh, my door now, I guess. I opened my door but no one was there. I would have blamed it on that prankster Roxas but he wasn't here anymore.

When I slid out into the hall, I was suddenly scooped off my board by a bunch of Dancer Nobodies and carried down a hall.

"What are you doing?! Put me down!" I shrieked, wriggling atop the many pairs of hands.

Rounding a corner, the one in front called, "Boss, we snagged Kat!"

With that, I was dropped (none too gracefully) on the floor and Dems replied, "Thanks girls," with a rock star smile before they skated away.

He picked me up by my waist. "Sorry about that, they tend to take things a little too literally sometimes. You OK?"

"Just fine," I answered, playfully glaring.

"Good." He kissed my cheek and I smiled.

Most girls would blush if a cutie like Demyx kissed them but not me. Well, not right now anyway. It's kind of like an insiders' joke for us. After I jokingly told him I loved him, it became our game to say 'I love you' and give a kiss. Why is this a joke? It's funny because neither of us can feel emotions.

I give him bonus points if he can _actually_ get me to blush because, as I've said before, I can't feel embarrassment that much. So far he's only managed to get me once when he planted a kiss on my lips. It was my fault because I turned my head so we just laughed afterwards.

"I gotta go to the Underworld today, wanna come?" he asked.

"Heck yeah!" I cried, bouncing excitedly.

Demyx opened a portal and bowed slightly. "Ladies first."

"'kay," I leaned against the wall and waited. When he realized what I meant, he frowned his way into the cutest pout I have ever seen.

"That's not funny."

I snickered. "I thought it was."

Demyx yanked on my arm and shoved me through the portal. He picked me up again on the other side when I discovered I could form my atom board. "You can't use your powers here, yet."

I leaned against the wall behind me suddenly feeling a lot more vulnerable. Dems looked a little concerned but I brushed it off.

"OK, well I have to go get something and then I'll be back," he said. I nodded and he headed up the hall behind me.

The room I was in had a rock formation in front of me and a thing that looked like a gate to my right. I think it looked like stalactites and stalagmites that had grown together. Fog flowed through there and out the other end of the room.

Little cloud-like balls of light floated around me and, considering this was the Underworld, I figured they were spirits. I smiled at them, even if they weren't aware of it. You could never be too careful in places like this.

On the left wall was a big crack, green light and some fog drifted through it.

I'm not sure how long it was but I'd guess maybe an hour before Demyx came back and helped me up. As we were preparing to leave, there was a _clink!_ noise like from armor and I stayed by the wall while Dems went to the green crack to see what it was.

As he stepped through, a boy with brunette hair walked into the room. I pulled my hood up and watched a duck and a dog-man thing come in to inspect the room.

About that time, Demyx dashed back into the room, running directly toward the threesome. The boy drew a blade, one shaped...like a key. The Keyblade? Sora?

"Run! Run away!" Demyx yipped and at the last second ducked to the side, opened a portal, gripped my arm, and drug me through.

When I focused, we were in a cavern with some murky water, a green puddle, and three pathways, one of which went up to the Colosseum. (1)

"What was that all about?" I laughed.

"Heartless. Figured I'd leave them to the Keyblade Master," Demyx explained, grinning.

"So that _was _Sora!" I clarified. But then Roxas...Where was Roxas?

"Let's go," Dems said, helping me onto his back. We decided to take the path that _didn't_ lead to the Colosseum and was opposite the one we had just come from.

"Hey!"

Dems whirled around on the voice and we spied a guy that was a cross between an actual human and a goat with red hair.

"Uh-oh," Demyx mumbled.

"Got it?" I whispered.

Demyx took a hold of my foot and spun when the guy was close enough, conking him on his head. The goat dude was knocked out and hopefully he would think seeing us was just a dream when he came to.

We entered our next destination through a door with blue zig zags across it and found another room with foggy floors and only one visible pathway across the room. Dems started to walk toward it when we suddenly tumbled through the floor which, as it turns out, was _just_ fog. His hand shot up and managed to grab the edge of the ledge we had been standing on a moment before.

"Wow, who woulda thought that was coming, huh?" he chuckled, relieved.

The fall to the ground wasn't very far and Demyx landed on his feet but he had to set me down so he could work a kink out of the shoulder of the arm that had saved us.

Unfortunately, we weren't out from under the ledge and a rock we had knocked loose fell and cracked Demyx on the head.

He stumbled forward and yelped while I laughed at first and then cooed, "Oh, are you OK?"

"Yeah, let's just get out of here," he grumbled, taking me up again. A couple turns later, I was lost but Demyx decided this was where we were going to stop.

"So what do we still have to do?" I inquired of the musician as he inspected a wall that, I guess, could be a door.

"We have to fight Sora."

"What? If we were supposed to fight him, why didn't you do that a few minutes ago when we saw him?" I demanded.

"Are you insane? Take on Sora and Heartless at the same time?" I stayed silent. "Nice job knocking that guy out by the way." I grinned.

"So...if our powers don't work, how are we supposed to fight Sora?"

"Oh," Demyx waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that. I got it covered. I went and got the Olympus Stone."

"What?" I yelled. "You _stole_ something from the Gods on Olympus?" I wouldn't have been so worried if it was from some normal people but I was in enough trouble with higher authorities already.

"Not _stole_. _Borrowed_ with the intent of taking it whether permission is granted or not," Demyx rattled off. "Besides, this will bring Sora running."

I cleared my throat and pointed behind Bubbles to the brunette who had just entered.

"Huh?" Demyx turned around. "Ah! You!"

He lowered his hood and put a hand to his face as if thinking. I stayed back. It was his mission and I couldn't interfere. "Wait a minute...Roxas?"

We both looked at the blonde but Sora spoke, "Excuse me?"

"Roxas?" Demyx said more clearly and then dropped his shoulders. "Oh, it's no use." I think he was talking to me.

He took a cue card out of his pocket and began to read. "Let's see..._If subject fails to respond, use _aggression_ to liberate his true disposition_. Right. Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one."

I think he was still talking to me indirectly. I snickered when he read the cue card. He didn't need to, he was just being a smart aleck to Xemnas who always tells him to use it if he forgets what to do. He probably did it to throw Sora off, too.

"You're bizarre," the Keyblade Master commented. I guess it worked.

Demyx dug the Olympus Stone out of his pocket.

The dog-man thing announced in a comical voice, "He must be the thief."

"Now that's just plain rude," Dems pouted. He held the Stone above his head and a light encircled both of us. I giggled, feeling rejuvenated and used my atom board to move out of the way when Dems summoned his sitar.

The fight wasn't very long. Bubbles blocked Sora when he got past some of his water clones and then conjured up more. In the end, I think he made a hundred before Sora came around behind and hacked at him and then Goofy, the dog-man thing ( as I learned from when they were healing each other), whacked him up front while Donald, the duck, cast a lightning spell.

"Demyx!" I called out when he fell to one knee, the Stone dropping from his pocket and Sora backed off to catch a breather.

I didn't bother to pick up the Stone since we wouldn't be here long enough to use it anymore. Instead, I slid up behind him and used some of my atoms to help him up. Sora suddenly jumped up and charged at us, intent on finishing us off. I grabbed Demyx's sitar and spun around to face the Keyblader before striking a chord. A stream of water shot out and blasted the brunette boy onto his rump.

I quickly pulled Dems up and handed him the instrument. "Hurry up, I can't make a portal."

Demyx did so, holding the shoulder he had strained earlier when we fell and said one last thing. "Roxas, come back to us."

* * *

–**Back at the Castle–**

"You can use my sitar?" he wondered in surprise.

I shrugged. "Now I can."

"That's cool! C'mon let's go find some bandages and then you can play with me." (2) I smiled as the blonde limped down the hall and I followed to patch him up. What a day!

* * *

(1) Sorry, I'm not very good at descriptions but you know what I'm talking about, right?

(2) Yeah, I kind of worded that wrong when I originally wrote this but KissyNae laughed so hard when she heard it that I thought I should leave it in there. Hope it made you smile. :D

Review Please!

Laters!!


	11. Chapter 11

I don't have much to say today. If you were rooting for the Colts, they won the Super Bowl. Anyway, this is a shorter chapter but it contains some romance. It takes place the night of the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Next chapter, ahoy!

* * *

**Chapter 11: Goodbye**

I shook my head as I entered my room. That Demyx, he just wouldn't accept the fact that he doesn't have a heart anymore. Even if he couldn't feel happiness or love, he'd still try to compose like he could.

And after the Dancer incident this morning, I decided to assign some of the atoms in my space to him so that we could find each other again.

Despite some of his short comings, though, he was still a cutie and a great friend. I felt like I could tell him anything and at least he'd act like he could feel compassion about it. He even offered to teach me how to make a dark portal but I said we'd have to put it off until tomorrow when he had enough energy to do it without passing out.

"What a goober," I giggled and took off that hot black cloak. I flopped on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. My room felt so strange now.

Wouldn't you feel kind of strange if you now lived in a room that you previously shared with someone that was now dead? It's like there was another presence in the room. Wait...

I focused on the atoms in the room and smiled at the familiar indentation in the molecules.

"Are you gonna come out or just hide in the shadows like the Boogey Man?" I voiced. I heard a shifting and then the ruffle of clothing. "How long were you planning on staying there?"

"I was hoping until you took off more than that cloak."

I glared over at the redhead. "Trust me, buddy, you don't want to see that. _I_ even fear getting undressed at night."

"Everybody hates their body, Spitfire," Red stated, approaching my bed and laying on the side nearest the wall. He put an arm over me and pulled me to him.

"Where have you been all this time?" I asked. He put his face in my hair. I had since started wearing it in a half-ponytail.

"I went to try and convince Roxas to come back to us. I fought him. I lost."

"You lost?"

I felt him shrug. "What can I say? I have a soft spot for that kid." I turned toward him.

"Would it happen to be _here_?" I asked as I jabbed a finger in his stomach. Axel mock glared at me and rubbed the spot. "Then what happened? And why did you have to fight him in the first place?"

"Then he joined Sora."

My eyes widened. "He...what?"

"I told you, Spitfire, he was Sora's Nobody." A hand began to travel up and down my back. "Neither one could be whole until they joined."

"Is that why you had to fight him?"

"No, I'm not _that_ cruel. That's the reason he left in the first place, remember? To get answers and that's what he got by joining Sora. I fought him to get him to remember."

"Remember?"

Axel's chest vibrated against me as he chuckled. "Man you're slow. He forgot about us. Somehow he lost his memories and ended up in Twilight Town. DiZ's doing, I think. So I went there, yeah to bring him back at first, but then to jog his memory."

"He forgot us?" I couldn't believe it. "So when we fight Sora, Roxas is fighting _us_?"

"No, not Roxas. He's only a part of Sora. They aren't the same person." He kind of sounded angry that I would even suggest Roxas would turn on us. But then again, he did leave the Organization.

"OK, but that only explains a few days. Where were you after that?"

"Wandering. I didn't want to return without my buddy and I knew you'd stay miserable if I didn't bring him back. You still miss him, don't you?" I nodded. "Me too. So, I've decided I'm going to try a different approach at getting him back."

"Oh? And what's that?" Axel grinned but didn't answer me.

"Oh no. There's absolutely no way I am letting you go screw with the Keyblade Master. Did you see what he did to Bubbles?"

"Kat, I am not Demyx. I can hold my own against that runt," Axel reasoned.

"Do I _look_ like I care? You're not going to get your butt kicked without me around to watch, laugh, and throw it in your face later."

"Have you forgotten? He already beat my face in before. Last year?"

I opened my mouth but didn't have a retort. "Why don't you just shut up, Axel?"

He chuckled again and pulled me closer...or tried to. We were already pretty close. He put his nose in my hair once more. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Miss me?" I wriggled away to the other side of the bed.

"Shh. C'mere." He held a hand out to pull me back.

"I don't think so. What the heck are you talking about?" I demanded.

"Alright, I'll explain just be quiet," Axel spoke in a hushed tone. "I'm taking the same route Roxas did."

"No." My throat constricted itself and I couldn't breathe. I was losing friends left and right. My eyes filled up.

"Oh, c'mon," Axel groaned before pulling me into his lap and cradling my much smaller form. "Look, it's for the best anyways. You've seen how our numbers have dropped because of that kid. You should probably come with me."

I shook my head and mumbled, more to myself than to him, "Not while Dems is still here. Where will you go? What will you do?"

"Uhm," Axel breathed out and ran a hand through his blazing hair. "I thought I'd pay a visit to Sora's girlfriend."

I laughed bitterly. "I'd expect no less from you. Go right for the weak spot." I shook my head again. "Why couldn't you just be happy with me instead?"

"I was, but you won't come with me." I finally gathered the courage to look at his green gaze. "Roxas wasn't the only one to make me feel like I had a heart."

My mouth dropped open slightly. So Nobodies _could_ feel. There were people who could spark a warm feeling within them. It was like their emotions were only dormant. Ha! Now, Xemnas, take your bullcrap back and eat it!

"You know, as cute as that is to look at, you're going to start drawing flies," Axel broke into my thoughts.

I put my hands on my hips and stuck my tongue out at him. Once I saw him smirk, however, I put it back. I did _not_ like that look.

"Don't stick that out unless you intend to use it," he advised. Oh, that's what the look meant.

"Maybe I do," I smiled tauntingly.

"Oh really?"

Before I could tease him further, Axel had taken my lips captive with his own. I was on my back now with one of the pyro's arms under the small of my back and the other under my neck, arching it at an almost painful angle. I groaned and turned my head to the side to tell him but he caught on and brought his hand under my head to support it.

He left a tingling sensation and fiery aftertaste like that of cinnamon. I had never noticed before how heavily he smelled of smoke but it suddenly attacked my nose, the smell so strong that it made my nasal passages burn uncomfortably. It didn't bother me too much, though. I dimly thought of the song back home...what was it? _Hurt So Good_?

Axel had jumped off of me so quickly that it left my head reeling and it took me a minute to realize he had because someone had knocked on my door.

He leaned down to my ear. "We'll finish this later. Get out as soon as you can and come find me. Oh, and you might want to fix your hair if you're going to answer the door."

"Kat?" Demyx's voice.

"You're right, he is a goober," Axel agreed before summoning a portal and stepping through.

"Goodbye Axel," I whispered and pulled on my cloak to hide my blush and my messed hair from the musician on the other side of the door.

* * *

Hmm. (Tilts her head to look at the chapter from a different angle.) I'm not really sure what to say about this one. I didn't like the original version of the romance scene I made so I redid it. I think this is much better. We'll see, though, won't we?

Review Please!

¡Qué tengen un buen día! (Have a nice day!)

Laters!!


	12. Chapter 12

Yay another chapter! I was sick again today (I seem to be sick a lot lately) so I had time to get stuff done so I could write. I was kind of getting sad because I didn't get any reviews for three chapters but then **ShinraTurk-Krena** reviewed and I was happy again. Thanks!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or this really old Gatorade that I am drinking. My friend Jess bought that for me.

Kateracks is pleased to present...

* * *

**Chapter 12: My Threat**

I haven't seen Axel or even heard of him for five days now. It seemed like ages to me and I've learned what emotions are all about again. I haven't left my room unless I had a huge appetite which wasn't very often because my gut was one big knot and if I ate, I'd throw up. I wasn't exactly sure why I was so worked up, though. It could have been because Axel was the only one that I actually had real feelings for.

Demyx hasn't bothered me either. I don't know if he's just been on missions or if he sensed something wrong with me but for either reason, he hasn't been around. I feel him wandering the halls sometimes.

He went on scrounging duty the other day and brought me back a cinnamon candle. I'm not sure if he knew how much that meant to me but I gave him a huge hug and lit it almost instantly. Lucky for me, it's one of the big ones with three wicks.

I decided to get dressed in my uniform and take a joy ride since today was one of my better days. At least the rest of the members would know I didn't die or whatever it is Nobodies do. Plus I was kind of hungry. I wished Sniffer was here to make pancakes. I guess I could make my own. My stomach clenched and I decided I wouldn't and find something else. Axel's favorite breakfast wouldn't do anything for me.

I kept my head down as I opened the door but instead of entering the hall, I bumped into someone. Before I met the floor, however, a hand reached out and latched itself onto my upper arm.

I didn't look up; I knew who it was. The hood was lowered from my head and the voice of the Melodious Nocturne asked, "Any better today?" So he did know something was wrong.

I shifted uneasily. "I guess. I'm hungry today and decided to come out."

"Hey, um..." There was a pause as he ran a hand through his rock star hair and searched for the words to say. "I'm sorry that all your friends keep disappearing. Really sorry." He actually sounded sincere.

"So, Xemnas knows about Axel now, does he?" I wondered.

"Yeah, he's really pissed and he sent Saïx to go bring him back."

"Great, he's dead meat," I groaned.

"Nah, not Axel," Demyx assured me. He switched his weight from one foot to the other. "Um, can you do me a favor?"

I let a small smile grace my features. Demyx just does that to me. "Sure. Anything. What?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a batch of folded papers. "I have a mission in Hallow Bastion today. Can you hang onto that for me? I don't want it to get ruined."

"No prob but what is it? A new song?"

"No, it's uh...an apology for someone," he replied, smiling secretively but his eyes didn't have that sly spark.

"What are you keeping from me?" I prodded smiling back. "Demyx! I'm trying to mope and you make me smile!" I just then realized how much like Axel I sounded just then.

My smile faded and I hugged my friend. He hugged me back, more tightly than he usually did and uttered a soft "Squeak-oo". I giggled into his cloak.

I looked up into his light green eyes and his lips met my forehead. "Don't mope anymore. It doesn't suit you...I have to get going." I reluctantly pulled away from his embrace. I had been lonely.

"Got your cue card?" I joked.

"Won't be needing it this time." He almost looked sad. He then pointed at my hand. "Keep that safe, it's important."

I saluted him. "Yes sir, Bubbles, sir!"

He snorted at the gesture and fluffed my hair. "Bye." He opened a portal and went through and my loneliness perked up again.

I went to the kitchen/living room and made an egg and toast. After that I rode aimlessly on my atom board until...

"Katex." I spun around and laid a hand over where the remaining half of my heart was.

"Saïx! You scared the crap out of me!"

He smirked but only said, "We have a meeting." He created a portal and we stepped through and into the meeting room.

I counted out the members left and snorted inwardly. Somehow Organization Six didn't sound as threatening to me. Heh, we're really falling apart.

"We are here to discuss our plan for when the Keyblade Master arrives," Xemnas began the meeting.

"Has he found the entrance into The World That Never Was?" Xaldin asked.

"No but he's drawing closer all the time. He's had help and I'm not just talking about from the servants of that half-wit 'King'." Xemnas spat out the last word like it contained a poison. "And he's sure to come now that we have the love of his life in our care."

I hadn't really been paying attention (like I ever do at these "meetings") but that caught my attention.

"The love of his life?" Luxord repeated.

"A pretty, young girl from his island," Xemnas explained. "Saïx brought her here from the Dark Realm."

I felt a sudden pain by my chest but I thought it was because I knew how the girl probably got in the Dark Realm in the first place.

"But I thought...Axel..." I blurted before considering my words. All eyes turned to me.

"So, you knew about Axel's plans?" Xemnas growled.

Another pain in my stomach. Was it the mention of his name?

"Foolish girl," Saïx came in. "Do you know what would have happened if Axel got to the Keyblade Master first? This whole endeavor could have been for nothing. It's a good thing I took her away from him when I did!"

"Speak Katex!" ordered Xemnas.

A shrieking pain ran up my back. Alright, that was not because of Axel. Something was affecting my atoms.

Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. "I'm sorry, Superior, but something's wrong with Demyx!" I cried, jumping up and summoning one of my newly acquired portals before they could stop me.

* * *

I rode along the blue walls surrounding Hallow Bastion and ramped off onto a ledge where I felt Demyx was nearby.

When I caught sight of him, he was down on ground level, broken blue and green tiles and other rubble surrounding him. As I watched, Demyx limped back from the Keyblade Master and, without his command, his sitar disappeared.

"Demyx!" I shouted and rode the side of the wall down to where he was.

"Kat?" He squinted at me and I reached to grab his arm but my hand went right through. It was then that I noticed he was blurry around the edges.

"What's happening to you? You're...fading," I spoke in a low voice.

He laughed, sort of, blood flecking his lips and in a hoarse voice replied, "Yeah. That's right, you never learned about this." He fell to his knees and met my eyes for the last time. "This is what happens...when we die."

"Demyx," I reached for him again even as he disappeared but I knew it was too late now. His transparent hand passed through the pocket of my cloak and then he was gone.

"Demyx!" I called again pleadingly as if that would bring him back.

I clenched my fists. My last friend. Sora had killed my only remaining friend and Roxas hadn't even _tried_ to stop him. I whipped around on the drenched, tired Keyblade Master.

"You!" I hissed. "You'll pay!"

I crossed my arms and threw them down to my sides, materializing my claws and got into a fighting stance.

However, just as I was going to shred the boy, my cursed boss interrupted. "Katex! Report!" I turned and created a portal knowing I would be in even more trouble if I didn't listen.

"Wait, uh, Kat!" Sora tried to stop me.

At that point, I totally submitted to everything I had been told. Yes, I caved. I glared murderously at all three of them and held a claw up to point at the brunette.

"My name is Katex. Number Thirteen of the Organization and the Ally of Air's Atoms. Kat no longer exists, you just killed her. You'd better remember that because I'll be back for you and you won't like the consequences." I went through the portal.

Xemnas was waiting on the other side. "What happened?"

"You don't need me to tell you, I'm sure you can guess." He continued to watch me even as I rode past him so I told him anyway. "He's dead. He faded. End of story."

I didn't go back to my own room, I went to Demyx's. I plopped hopelessly on the bed and laid a hand over my pocket–the last thing Demyx touched. The shape of something inside reminded me that the papers he had given me were still there. The least I could do was make sure his apology got to whoever it was supposed to go to.

I carefully unfolded it and saw it was addressed to me. Tears flowed down my face as I read the neat handwriting.

_Dear Kat, _

_By the time you read this, well, you'll know what happened. Yeah this letter was for you. I figured you would at least peek at it but I hoped you wouldn't until it was all over. _

_I'm sorry I couldn't tell you all this in person but I've told you before, I'm no good with words. Must be a side effect of being a Nobody. _

_I just wanted to let you know that I admire you a lot. You're brave, smart, sassy, and don't get me started on looks. Oh, and I think your theory on Nobody emotions being dormant is right because all the time I spent with you, I felt a lot. _

_I also think that you should know that I think you and Axel are great for each other. You should probably meet up with him as soon as possible because you know the Old Windbag's plan is going to fail. _

_Yeah, you're not the only one that flaming haired lunatic paid a visit to that night but my visit was much later and, I'm sure, didn't include some of the activities your visit did. _

_You've said yourself that the Keyblade was a powerful weapon for the pure of heart. Well, you're right again and I regret to say, even if I had a heart, it wouldn't be pure so don't be too mad at Sora, OK? It was either me get sent on that mission or you and you were too special for both Axel and I to lose. So don't cry over me too much; I faded for something important to me and you've been crying enough lately. _

_Well, what are you waiting for? Go find Axel and tell him Dem-Dems did his part. I'll miss you. _

_Yours Always,_

_Demyx_

I stared at the ending of the letter and smiled a small smile. _Yeah, always, because even if you left, you're still a part of my heart...or what's left of it._

I curled up on his bed and pulled his pillow to my face. It smelled like him.

* * *

I'm a terrible person! I killed Demyx! Well, no, the game killed him...but I killed him again! I am cruel! So, yeah, this chapter was kind of sappy but it had to be done. The next chapter will be the last one and it will probably be longer because I will have to tie up some loose ends.

Review Please!!

Laters!!


	13. Chapter 13

The last chapter already? Who knew it would end so soon? I actually thought it was longer than this but apparently it's not. Don't hate me just yet, though, there's a surprise as the end so read the author's note, okey dokie?

Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own Kingdom Hearts! I also don't own the title of the chapter which came from Move Along by The All-American Rejects.

Without further delay...

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**Chapter 13: When Darkness Turns to Light**

I woke up to something squishy and it smelled like someone I knew. I almost squealed with ecstacy but didn't when I realized it was just his pillow and not the real Demyx.

I held it closer and looked up at the dark blue ceiling, stroking the fabric beneath my fingers. It was flannel, I think.

Paper crinkled beneath me as I rolled over and I retrieved the apology, rereading it again. I sat up and put the pillow back in place. I knew what I was going to do. I wasn't going to stay here and wait for my doom.

I returned to my...Larxene's room. It was no longer mine. I picked up my cinnamon candle and pulled a backpack and my blue sweatshirt with the black rose out of the closet. I had almost forgotten about that.

Once again, I looked at the apology Demyx had written me and then picked up a pen and paper. He wouldn't get the letter but that didn't mean I couldn't write one.

_Dear Demyx,_

_It may seem dumb to write to you after you're gone but it feels like you went without a big enough piece of me. I wish I could have done more for you. You said not to cry too much but what the heck was that about? You were my best friend; there's no way I couldn't cry. _

_No one cares that you're gone except me and I suppose that's to be expected but I had hoped they would have said a few words of respect. I guess I forgot we're in a pit of vipers. Sorry. But there is something I can do. _

_I've decided that I'll help Sora like Axel instead of getting revenge on him for what he did to you. You're right. I did say the Keyblade was for the pure of heart which is why it wasn't given to either of us. But, hey, everybody carries scars on their heart and I don't mean my physical ones. That's why we understood each other so well. We remembered. _

_And as far as admiration goes, you have no idea how much I looked up to you. From the very beginning, you made me feel like I was at home and there are no words to describe how that made me feel. There are also no words that can thank you enough. Heh. I guess neither one of us are very good with words. _

_Oh, and about that kiss...well, let's just say you almost won me from Axel. Key word: almost. I guess I've always been a sucker for redheads. Maybe we should have dyed your hair. _

_Speaking of which, I suppose I better go catch up with the Flaming Haired Lunatic. Who knows where he could be? I'll love you forever and an eternity...as a friend. I'll miss you more. _

_Forever and ever yours,_

_Kat_

I read it over and nodded, satisfied. Then I heated some atoms and burned his letter before scooping the ashes into a small box on top of my letter. I tied a ribbon around it and put it in the backpack.

I slid silently down the hall and took another look at Demyx's room. I entered again and decided to strip the pillow of its case because, as I've said before, it smells like him. Then I took the digital camera from its shelf and dug the album out from underneath his socks and boxers. I couldn't help grinning. I put them in the pillow case and stuck that inside the backpack. After that, I took my leave.

I rode the walls down to the exit of the castle, again, silently and entered the Dark City before I felt safe enough to create a portal to the Dark Realm.

I didn't create another side to it, just stayed where the first one had dropped me. I didn't know where Axel was but I figured he'd come here eventually.

"Axel?" I called out and the sound bounced around the space. I sat down on my knees to wait when I felt a presence. I turned around but no one was there.

However, when I turned forward there was someone. They looked strong as it was but the way they stood comfortably under that black coat in the darkness only made them seem stronger.

"Wh–Who are you?" I stuttered. This all seemed familiar.

The figure took a few steps closer and lifted its hood just enough that I could see silver hair and orange eyes in a tanned face. He let the hood drop back into place and then held a hand out to me.

The dream! After all this time I had almost forgotten about that. But then that means...

Axel jumped in front of me wielding his chakrams and attacked the guy. The other brought out a sword like a bloody dragon wing and blocked the attack before stepping back into a portal.

"Axel!" I got up and tackled him in a hug.

"Whoa!" He caught me and held me to him, embracing me back. "You okay?"

"I'm fine but...Demyx..." Axel laid a hand over my mouth.

"I know." He sighed. "I know." I clenched his cloak in my hands and hugged him tighter. He kissed my temple.

He sighed once more, this time in exasperation. "What is he doing now?" he whispered next to my ear. "We have to help Sora." He opened a portal and I followed him through.

On the other side, we saw Sora standing amidst a crowd of Dusks. Just standing there!

"Oh jeez," I snorted. "Roxas must have been the smarter half."

Axel chuckled before advising the brunette, "Don't stop moving or the darkness will overtake you!"

He jumped in, slicing through one and throwing a chakram at another. I took out two more behind Sora and he turned to me with a slightly frightened expression.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to get my revenge," I told him.

"Get going!" Axel ordered the Keyblader.

"But...why?" Sora questioned.

"Don't ask. Just do it!" Two Dusks jumped on Axel, pulling him down but Sora ran in and took them out while I flipped over them and rid us of two more.

"You okay?" Sora asked.

"I kidnaped Kairi," Axel admitted, ignoring the question. "But she got away from me. After that, Saïx caught her. He's a member of Organization XIII. Saïx. Got it memorized? Now go save her!"

"Sora!" I warned, pointing behind him at the Dusk wiggling through the air. He spun around and sent it to oblivion.

"Leave us alone!"

Did he really think they would listen? It would be nice if they did but, unfortunately, they didn't so we all had to fight the lesser Nobodies. Not that it was hard, just a tedious job because there were so many and they kept coming back! We had to hurry and get Sora to the castle and this was taking too long.

"Get out of the way!" Axel yelled in frustration, sliding forward and blazing a path through the white shells.

"Hey, that's my move!" I objected, sliding under one and weaving through two more. "Here!" I grabbed their legs and threw them toward Axel.

He brought his chakrams forward and hollered, "Burn, Baby!" They were barbequed instantly. I turned around and knocked a Dusk back from Goofy and slashed one away from Donald.

Some other Nobody, one with sharp blade-like wings was coming toward us. It looked like it was swimming and I wasn't sure what kind of Nobody it was.

I was brought back to harsh reality when a Dusk kicked me in the back and then it was too late as the strange Nobody rose from the floor and knocked me over.

"No you don't!" I heard Axel yell just before his chakram came forward and obliterated it. His gloved hand pulled me up.

Sora was back to back with us while his two friends were off fighting more shells.

"I think I liked it better when they were on my side," Axel commented, gauging the number of enemies that had surrounded us.

I giggled nervously. "I think anybody would."

"Feeling a little...regret?" Sora inquired.

Axel's chest heaved tiredly and he slouched while he thought about that. Then he turned his head to look at Sora. "Nah...I can handle these punks." He gave a short, arrogant laugh. "Watch this."

"Axel!" I knew what he was going to do. He jumped into the center of the fighting area and focused his energy. His chakrams spun around him, spitting tongues of flame and he screamed, fire surrounding us all and blinding us.

When I opened my eyes, all the Dusks were no more and Sora's path was clear. I turned around and found my red haired companion collapsed on his back with his chakrams at his sides.

"Whoa," Sora voiced in awe.

"Axel!" I seemed to be yelling that a lot lately. I slid over to him and dropped to my knees on his left side; Sora was in hot pursuit.

"You're...fading away." Way to go, Genius; we couldn't tell on our own.

"Well, that's what happens when you put your whole being into an attack. Know what I mean? Not that Nobodies actually _have_ beings...right?"

"Sure they do," I assured him, though I wasn't quite sure myself.

"Anyway, I digress," he continued. "Go. Find Kairi. Oh, almost forgot...Sorry for what I did to her."

"When we find her, you can tell her that yourself," Sora suggested.

"Think I'll pass," Axel sighed, looking over at me. "My heart just wouldn't be in it, you know? Haven't got one." He laughed weakly, his green orbs losing their shine.

"I fail to see the humor in this situation," I mumbled.

"Yeah, you never did have a good sense of humor," Axel spoke and took a shaky breath.

"Axel, what were you trying to do?" Sora pondered.

Axel looked back over to the brunette. "I wanted to see Roxas. He...was the only one I liked. He made me feel...like I had a heart. It's kind of funny...you make me feel...the same."

He cringed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Axel, please don't leave me," I begged, starting to cry.

"Hey, knock it off," Axel ordered, raising a hand weakly to wipe a tear from my cheek. He then grabbed the collar of my cloak and dragged me down so he could tell me, "No more crying. Help this twerp out for me, will ya?"

I leaned down more and hugged him.

"Squeak-oo."

We both looked over to Sora.

He shrugged. "Sorry, it was the only thing I could think of to say at a time like this."

I let out a laugh mixed with a sob and turned back to Axel's ear to whisper, "He's still in there somewhere, Axel. Roxas is still here."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Hey, do me a favor. Take my chakrams with you and help take down Xemnas with 'em. That way I can feel like I was schooling the Old Windbag myself."

"Alright. Oh, and I'm supposed to tell you 'Dem-Dems did his part' but I guess you already know."

Axel took another shaky breath and smiled before raising a hand and creating a portal as he began to disintegrate. "Kairi's in the castle dungeon. You know where that is, my little captive." He was talking to me. "Now go."

He was almost completely faded now. "Axel..." Sora trailed off.

The pyro turned to me and smiled a genuine smile. "See ya, Spitfire."

"See ya, Axel...you Flaming Haired Lunatic." As he disappeared from view, I heard a chuckle that will be stuck in my mind until the end of time. "I love you," I whispered.

Picking up the chakrams, I spun them in my hands to test the weight and then turned to Sora and his companions.

"This leads to..." Sora trailed off again.

Donald looked at him. "Aw, come on. Let's get going." Sora nodded.

"Right," I agreed and rode my atom board through the portal to the place I had just run away from. It was time to rescue a new captive.

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And that is the end! But fear not, I have written a sequel to this story. It may need a little help from you guys, though, because there are some parts I don't like much and will need your suggestions to rewrite them. So if you want me to put it up, you only need to tell me in a review.

Review Please! And I thank the rest of you that reviewed the other chapters.

Laters!!


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